Hamilton tops final US GP practice ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Lewis Hamilton ended the third and final practice session for the United States Grand Prix at the top of the timesheets, setting the pace in FP3 at the Circuit of The Americas. Hamilton’s fastest lap of 1m 34.893s put him ahead of Max Verstappen and Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc, continuing a weekend in which Scuderia Ferrari had taken the lead in each practice session.

The FP3 result marked a practice clean sweep for Ferrari. Verstappen finished second, while Leclerc had to settle for third after a late lap was deleted for track limits, with his final standing reflecting the session’s recurring limits issues. Behind the front three, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completed the top five for Mercedes.

Practice began relatively quietly once the green light appeared at 12:30 local time. Sergio Perez (Cadillac), Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) were the only drivers to go out initially, with Colapinto and Bortoleto set to carry grid penalties into Sunday’s race and Perez sitting out FP1. Colton Herta, meanwhile, took to the track for the American-run opportunity.

Attention in the paddock had centred on Ferrari’s potential after Leclerc topped both of Friday’s practice sessions. However, the early narrative in FP3 included a sharp example of how expectations were being tempered by competitors’ progress and by the track limits theme that had already affected the weekend; notably, 128 laps were deleted in FP2.

After Verstappen reached the top with a 1m 35.702s lap on the mediums, Antonelli slotted into third behind Oscar Piastri. Several drivers’ efforts were deleted for track limits, including Norris and Leclerc, and the timing challenges continued as the session moved deeper into its running. Hamilton then improved the benchmark, going quickest at that stage on the soft tyres.

A pit-lane incident also emerged for stewards’ review during FP3. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg was involved in a pit lane incident with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, with replays indicating Stroll was coming down the fast lane at the moment Hulkenberg set off for a practice start after pulling off to the side. Following the session, stewards confirmed the incident would be investigated.

As FP3 passed the halfway point, Leclerc returned to the top with an impressive 1m 35.127s on the mediums, a time 0.164s faster than his table-topping effort in Friday’s FP2. Antonelli, Hamilton and Verstappen followed, with Verstappen having recently complained via radio about his car’s shifting.

Further push laps then came into focus as Mercedes and the leading midfield chased the quickest tyres. Antonelli took top spot while Russell moved into third behind Leclerc, until Leclerc’s teammate fell victim to track limits at Turn 9. Verstappen then reclaimed the lead, and Hamilton became the first driver to dip below 1m 34s as he bumped Verstappen down to second.

Leclerc responded once more, marginally edging Hamilton and Verstappen for first—only for the familiar track limits message to delete his lap. With that deletion in effect, Leclerc dropped back into third, leaving Hamilton’s pace to stand as the final benchmark.

With the chequered flag ending FP3, Hamilton’s 1m 34.893s remained sufficient for first place. Verstappen took second, while Leclerc finished third on the times that survived deletion.

Beyond the leading trio, the Mercedes duo rounded out the top five: Antonelli fourth and Russell fifth. Oscar Piastri was sixth, followed by Hulkenberg in seventh. Lando Norris was eighth after explaining that it was difficult to handle his MCL40 the day before, with Pierre Gasly ninth and Isack Hadjar tenth.

The remainder of the field featured Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad next in order, with the rookie listed as the third driver facing a grid penalty on Sunday. Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman, Colapinto and Fernando Alonso completed the top 16, while Esteban Ocon was 17th. Lance Stroll ended 18th, with Williams’ Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz 19th and 20th respectively, and Perez and Valtteri Bottas 21st and 22nd.

With practice complete in Austin, the focus now shifts to qualifying, scheduled to begin at 16:00 local time.

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