Las Vegas FP3 delivered the most revealing hour of track action so far, with mixed conditions, changing tyres and a rapidly evolving surface shaping a session that ended with George Russell on top for Mercedes. Max Verstappen followed in second, while Alex Albon continued his strong weekend in third. McLaren, however, endured a difficult session at the bottom of the order.
The final practice session opened on a damp track after earlier rain. Oscar Piastri was the first to leave the pit lane on intermediate tyres, with grip levels still uncertain and the field reluctant to commit. Early moments reflected the challenge. Alex Albon slid into the Turn 5 run-off, while several drivers waited for the circuit to improve before beginning representative running.
As conditions stabilised, McLaren briefly surfaced at the top. Piastri went quickest before Lando Norris improved with a 1:43.078. For a moment, it looked like the papaya cars were ready to reset their weekend. Carlos Sainz then reported that slick tyres were nearly viable, and Norris was the first to attempt the switch to the soft compound. The decision produced several wide moments as the tyres struggled to generate temperature on the still-drying surface.
Lewis Hamilton then placed Ferrari on top with a 1:42.809, although his lap included a close moment behind Liam Lawson at Turn 14. Race Control reviewed the incident and confirmed that no further action was required. Behind him, more teams moved to slicks and the competition tightened.
With twenty minutes remaining, the track began to deliver real pace. Verstappen jumped to the top with a 1:35.646, only to be replaced by Lawson moments later. The Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars frequently appeared near the front as the times continued to fall.
The final minutes brought one last shift. Russell delivered a clean and controlled lap of 1:34.054 to finish the session fastest. Verstappen followed in second, and Albon completed the top three with another impressive performance for Williams.
Isack Hadjar took fourth for Racing Bulls, followed by Hamilton, Antonelli, Lawson and the Aston Martin pair of Stroll and Alonso. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.
Further down the order, McLaren faced another setback. Piastri and Norris finished in nineteenth and twentieth as both cars appeared to suffer late technical issues. Neither driver was able to complete a clean lap on the soft tyre, leaving the championship leaders with unanswered questions ahead of qualifying.
With the session now complete, attention shifts to the grid-setting battle. The field has shown pace in waves, the circuit continues to evolve and teams still have significant adjustments to make. Qualifying at 20:00 local time will determine whether Russell’s control of FP3 reflects true competitiveness or simply the best timing in an unpredictable session.
