Mercedes Dominates Vegas Practice as Russell Sets Fastest Time Before Red Flag
George Russell led Mercedes to a practice sweep at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in FP3 before a late red flag disrupted final qualifying preparations.
Russell's benchmark of 1m33.570s was 0.3s quicker than Thursday's FP2 time and approximately half a second faster than last year's FP3. Oscar Piastri claimed second place (+0.215s), while Carlos Sainz secured third (+0.348s) for Ferrari.
Mercedes F1 car on track
The session was cut short when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin stopped near Turn 12 with hybrid system issues, requiring a red flag for safe recovery. Most front-runners only managed one flying lap on soft tires before the interruption.
Max Verstappen showed significant improvement after struggling with grip earlier, finishing fifth (+0.567s) despite initial complaints about the car being "undriveable." Lewis Hamilton, Thursday's practice leader, placed sixth after aborting his only representative soft-tire run.
Notable performances included:
- Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto placing 7th and 8th for Williams
- Kevin Magnussen and Pierre Gasly completing the top 10
- Charles Leclerc showing promise with a purple middle sector before the red flag
- Sergio Perez managing only 13th despite multiple attempts
F1 practice results chart
The session's early conclusion leaves several questions about true qualifying pace heading into the crucial qualifying session.
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