Third Free Practice Results & Report 2025 Las Vegas F1 GP

Event: Las Vegas Grand Prix
Track: Las Vegas Strip Circuit

Weather: dry 13°C
Tarmac: dry 13°C
Humidity: 56%
Wind: 1.0 km/h South

FP3 Report: Russell Sets the Vegas Pace as Chaos Engulfs McLaren in Tricky Strip Conditions

A session that had everything… except grip

Las Vegas delivered another evening of unpredictable drama as the final practice of the weekend turned into a slippery, stop-start hour of brinkmanship. Temperatures hovered just above freezing point (well… Vegas-freezing), the track was still carrying moisture from a passing drizzle, and the Strip’s neon canyon offered drivers absolutely zero margin for error.

With the championship finely poised and rain lurking on the radar, FP3 quickly transformed into a high-risk rehearsal for a qualifying session that promises pure pandemonium later tonight.

George Russell ended the hour on top for Mercedes, ahead of Max Verstappen and a sensational Alex Albon, but the headline story was McLaren’s collapse, with both Norris and Piastri stranded in the garage when the track was at its very best.

A cold, damp Strip rattles the field

The opening phase resembled an elaborate ice-skating audition. Even experienced hands were pirouetting: Piastri complained of zero grip, Alonso discovered a few escape routes, and even Verstappen misjudged the conditions enough to perform a cheeky handbrake turn to rejoin the circuit.

Intermediates were the only sensible tyre choice at first, but a narrow, drying racing line tempted several drivers into trying slicks earlier than common sense would advise. The punishment for drifting a millimetre off-line? Instant chaos.

Ferrari show early bite as Hamilton plays matador

Lewis Hamilton wasted no time climbing the charts in his Ferrari, relishing the low-grip challenge like it was Monaco in the rain. The seven-time champ threw in a series of sharp laps before nearly colliding with Liam Lawson, forcing Hamilton to jink sideways at the final moment. Ferrari briefly enjoyed a one-two as Charles Leclerc, back in action after yesterday’s hydraulic failure, slotted right behind him.

Both Ferrari drivers looked confident in mixed conditions, though Hamilton warned over radio that several corners were “catching people out for free.”

McLaren roll the dice… and immediately lose

Championship leader Lando Norris was the first driver brave (or desperate) enough to bolt on a set of soft tyres. McLaren’s gamble looked bold, even clever, until it wasn’t.

Norris managed a handful of twitchy laps before the car shut down with an electrical fault serious enough for mechanics to handle it wearing high-voltage gloves. At the very moment the track was reaching peak performance, the championship leader was stuck in the garage.

Piastri’s day wasn’t any sweeter. A lock-up spoiled his first soft-tyre push lap, and moments later a telemetry failure ended his running entirely. With both McLarens finishing the session 19th and 20th, the orange team arrives at qualifying with a mountain to climb.

Williams and Racing Bulls steal the midfield spotlight

While McLaren floundered, Williams and Racing Bulls stepped forward like they’d been waiting for this exact set of conditions.

Albon looked mighty from start to finish, hauling his FW47 into the top three with a lap that surprised even the team. Isack Hadjar continued his impressive weekend by grabbing fourth, making the Racing Bulls garage one of the happiest in the pit lane.

Carlos Sainz, now the senior man at Williams, also flirted with the sharp end before conditions shifted. At one point he even radioed that slicks were “nearly ready”, despite having just survived an enthusiastic slide at Turn 4.

Mercedes strike late as Russell hooks it up

In the final minutes, as most teams topped up fuel and prepared for one last shot, George Russell finally found the sweet spot. With softs fully switched on, the Briton stitched together a lap that set purple sectors glowing across the timing screens. Verstappen was on a faster lap of his own before traffic forced him wide, leaving Russell’s 1:34.054 untouchable.

Antonelli backed Russell by showing strong pace earlier in the session, although his soft-tyre run never materialised as Mercedes focused on long-duration tyre learning. Still, the rookie looks firmly in the mix heading into qualifying.

Verstappen’s near-miss and Red Bull’s double punch

Verstappen might have topped the session had he not found himself staring at a slow-moving group of cars late in the run. The Dutchman aborted his lap after running wide, but his outright pace was clear, and Red Bull left FP3 confident that both drivers have pole potential.

Yuki Tsunoda, despite losing early track time due to a slow puncture, again impressed. His FP1 heroics over Verstappen weren’t a one-off; the Japanese driver appears fully dialled into the Vegas tarmac.

A qualifying storm is brewing, literally

As the chequered flag fell, the weather finally began to deliver on its threat. A fresh drizzle rolled across the Strip moments after the session ended, a preview of the chaos that might unfold later under the bright Las Vegas lights.

With the track evolving by the second, tyre choices uncertain, and three teams looking capable of stealing pole, tonight’s qualifying session might be the most unpredictable of the season.

McLaren head into it wounded. Mercedes smell opportunity. Red Bull look poised. Ferrari want revenge after yesterday’s troubles. And Williams plus Racing Bulls are punching far above their weight.

In short: this is Vegas. Expect a show.

FP3 Times Table 2025 Las Vegas GP

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About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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