George Russell edged Max Verstappen for the fastest time in final practice for Formula 1’s 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, as the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ended up slowest of all.
Earlier rain over the Vegas strip meant the early part of this session was pretty much a total write-off, as cars slithered their way around on a cold and damp circuit, where the track temperature barely climbed above 13C.
F1 championship leader Norris led the way during this early phase before becoming the first driver to venture out on slick tyres in the second half-hour. He was told to take “zero risk” by McLaren and it was clear from the audible wheelspin and lack of grip that it was too soon to make the switch.
It took multiple consecutive laps to build temperature into the tyres and only in the final 20 minutes did the slick-tyred times overtake the intermediate ones.
Predictably, as the tyres finally came into their operating window, the track evolution was massive and lap times reduced significantly depending on who got a clean lap in and when.
Verstappen, his Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls, Russell and Alex Albon’s Williams all had a turn at the top of the times during this crucial final phase - and the fastest time reduced by five seconds as conditions improved.
Russell ended up quickest for Mercedes on a 1m34.054s best just after the chequered flag came out to end the session, but Verstappen was going quicker still before a trip into the Turn 14 escape road ruined things for him.
Verstappen ended the session second fastest, 0.227s down on Russell, with Albon's Williams third.
Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls, Hamilton’s Ferrari, Lawson, the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine rounded out the top 10.
But the gaps were unusual, with Albon almost eight tenths down on Russell’s time and just a bit less than that same gap covering Hadjar in fourth all the way down to Leclerc’s Ferrari in 15th.
Tsunoda ended up 18th, despite at one stage being fastest, while the McLarens both hit trouble when the track was at its best.
Piastri headed to the pits and stayed there after clearly struggling to get his soft tyres up to temperature, while Norris aborted a lap, came into the pits and didn’t return to the track - with mechanics pictured in rubber gloves pushing his car back into the garage with some kind of apparent electrical fault.
At least this time there was no repeat of the drain cover problem that disrupted FP2. The FIA confirmed before FP3 that the offending manhole was “disassembled and further inspected” and that this and 14 other manhole covers were welded to prevent a repeat.
FP3 results
1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1m34.054s
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.227s
3 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.821s
4 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +1.115s
5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.215s
6 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.331s
7 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.384s
8 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1.479s
9 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.486s
10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.508s
11 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +1.532s
12 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.608s
13 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1.684s
14 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1.763s
15 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +1.854s
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +2.251s
17 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +2.554s
18 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +2.613s
19 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +2.969s
20 Lando Norris (McLaren) +3.058s
