FP3: Russell leads Piastri and Sainz in final Las Vegas GP practice

Mercedes driver George Russell led the way during Friday’s third and final practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, slotting ahead of McLaren rival Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz before a late red flag.

In similarly cold and slippery conditions to Thursday practice, a handful of drivers emerged in the early stages to build up speed and get back into a rhythm – albeit with Sergio Perez reporting that his first run was “miles off” given the low levels of grip.

PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Mercedes’ pace has caught the eye – but can they be a factor on race day in Las Vegas?

Some 20 minutes on, only Perez and team mate Max Verstappen had posted flying laps, initially running in the 1m 41s on Pirelli’s medium tyres, before McLaren pair Lando Norris (1m 36.891s) and Piastri (1m 35.759s) headed straight out on softs to take over at the top.

Just after the halfway mark, and with all bar the Red Bulls running on softs, it was Kevin Magnussen who somewhat surprisingly held P1 with a 1m 34.883s, in front of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, Haas team mate Nico Hulkenberg and Russell.

Mercedes then wound themselves up for another run on softs, bringing a 1m 34.475s from Russell and a 1m 34.341s from Lewis Hamilton – restoring their early-weekend one-two formation as times edged closer to the 1m 33.825s benchmark in second practice.

Meanwhile, Verstappen’s troubles rumbled on as the Dutchman reported that his car was “only getting worse” and becoming “undriveable”. Running harder tyres, and referencing a problematic left-front, he added: “I can’t drive it. I’m going to crash.”

READ MORE: What Verstappen needs to do to take his fourth title in Las Vegas

It would get better via a trip to the Red Bull garage and a switch to soft rubber, though – Verstappen coming back out on track to clock a 1m 34.137s and edge in front of the Mercedes drivers, who had swapped positions thanks to more Russell gains.

Verstappen’s “miles better” lap opened another sequence of soft-shod efforts, only for the action to be halted with around seven minutes left on the clock thanks to Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin losing power and coming to a halt at the side of the track.

Given that there was not enough time for more flying laps after Stroll’s car had been cleared, only a small number of drivers completed their second run on softs, leading to a final order of Russell (1m 33.570s), Piastri, Sainz, Norris and Verstappen, with FP1 and FP2 pace-setter Hamilton missing out in sixth.

Williams pair Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto were next up in P7 and P8 respectively, the former making up for some lost mileage after his fuel system issue during FP2, as Magnussen and the lead Alpine of Pierre Gasly completed the top half of the field.

Nico Hulkenberg was 11th in the other Haas, followed by Leclerc and Perez, who missed the chance to complete a practice start amid the pit lane queue when the session restarted with a minute to go, and the Alpine and Aston Martin cars of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso.

NEED TO KNOW: The most important facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix

RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson ended up in respective P16 and P18 positions via a close call as their cars converged under braking in the final moments of the session, while Kick Sauber duo Valtteri Bottas (17th) and Zhou Guanyu (20th), and the sidelined Stroll (18th), completed the order.

Drivers and teams will now regroup in the paddock and work their way through the data once more before returning to the track with the all-important qualifying session, which is set to get under way at 2200 local time.