F1 Las Vegas GP live commentary and updates - FP3
Follow along for Formula 1's final practice updates from Las Vegas
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So, qualifying is shaping up to be hugely intriguing. The McLarens were very out of position in that session, so their true pace is very much an unknown.
Any further rain will make qualifying a session defined by who's on track last. We'll bring you quali in about two-and-a-half hours' time, so please do join us then if you're awake!
"It's impressive, really doesn't take a lot of rain to **** things up," Bearman reports. His comments through the weekend very much suggest that he's really not a fan of this circuit!
"Idiots, they just stay on the racing line - I had to go onto the wet," Verstappen groans, and he's got a point. Not many drivers willing to move out of the way at the end of the back straight.
Las Vegas FP3 is over!
Russell moves up to the top with a 1m34.054s, although Verstappen is on another flyer - but locks up at Turn 14. Thus ends the session - Verstappen was due to go fastest, but slower cars ahead caught him off-guard.
It's a 1m34.899s for Russell, but Albon then posts a 1m34.875s.
Verstappen then grabs a 1m34.281s to go top. It had been taking a couple of laps to get the softs in, but this time Verstappen put them on and went for the lap almost directly after.
Both McLarens are in the garage, having lost telemetry. They're 19th and 20th as a result as they've not been able to benefit from the improving track.
Perhaps there was an issue - Norris pulled into the pitlane, and was shoved back into the garage with the mechanics sporting the insulation gloves.
Bortoleto's on a quick lap, as Lawson does a 1m35.637s to go top. Fourth for Bortoleto on that one, having lost a bit of time in the last sector.
Russell does a lap to get within 0.088s of Verstappen's headline effort. Albon sets a purple sector one, but bails on his lap and pits.
Norris is finding some time now, with a purple middle sector, but he decides to abort that lap. McLaren looked like it was going to do a pitstop, with new C5s primed, but the team has chosen to leave them for now.
A 1m35.646s for Verstappen to resume control of this ever-changing FP3 session. We're inching closer to the 1m33s benchmark we saw in FP2!
Leclerc finds more time and posts a 1m36.469s, but Hamilton pips him to a 1m36.284s to go top.
The McLarens are back on the road, having perhaps gone to the slicks too early.
Big snap for Bortoleto, who has a similar snap to Norris through Turn 3 but with an even bigger wobble.
Hamilton gets a 1m37.315s to move to the top of the order, with Russell moving up to second.
However, Verstappen's on a brace of purple sectors and gets a green final sector to do a 1m36.820s.
Definitely time for slicks now - Verstappen posts a 1m39.156s. Tsunoda looks like he's going a bit quicker, and indeed moves to the top with a 1m38.896s.
Leclerc posts a 1m38.251s to now assume top spot.
Leclerc's done a 1m41.867s to go fastest for now, with Tsunoda's effort 0.632s off the Monegasque's pace. Verstappen is a tenth behind Tsunoda for now, but he's got a purple first sector on this lap.
Ah, here we go. Hamilton is on a quick one - but there's a VCARB ahead going very slowly through Turn 14 and he's barely a fraction away from connecting.
There was about four cars jostling for track position, and Hamilton came from a long way back and was caught off-guard by the slow-moving traffic.
More takers for slicks - Verstappen, Hadjar, Leclerc, Lawson, and Bortoleto - who'll be doing his first run on the softs.
Piastri turns in a lap with a purple sector three, but his latest effort is over two seconds off the pace. It might get better with a few more laps, but rain is a-looming...
Norris goes off-road and cuts Turn 8, so those slicks really don't look very good right now. Regardless, Tsunoda, Piastri, and Hamilton are showing as out on slick tyres.
Norris is out on slicks - the soft tyre, no less. There's a snap in Turn 2, and it looks like he's backed off after that moment. Very close to the wall there.
Rain in three minutes, apparently - but he goes for another lap. Antonelli is told over the radio that the slick looks "a mile off" at the moment.
As it stands, our top 10 is Hamilton, Norris, Russell, Piastri, Hadjar, Antonelli, Verstappen, Leclerc, Lawson, and Albon.
We're fast approaching the half-way point of the session, with Hamilton having done the most laps of anyone with 13 tours in this session.
Alonso, Bortoleto, Gasly, Stroll, Hulkenberg, and Colapinto are yet to do a time, with Alonso the only one of those six to hit the road. They're all currently in the garage.
Hamilton punches in a 1m42.809s, so the circuit is continuing to yield fractions of time with each lap. Russell is up to third.
Tsunoda is told he has an issue and pits.
Although the circuit is apparently almost slickworthy, we're still shy of seeing anyone try a run with softs.
Russell begins a run and he's all arms trying to get the car settled for Turn 3/4, with lots of action at the wheel.
Norris does a quickish lap and posts a 1m43.078s, 0.059s up on a lap just posted by Hamilton.
Norris sets a 1m45.010s, but Piastri finds a heap of time to post a 1m43.896s. Hamilton is up to second with a 1m44.514s.
"It's almost ready for slicks," Sainz reckons, as he contends that the circuit is almost dry.
Verstappen splits Hamilton and Piastri to go up to second, as Sainz is on a lap and struggling with the lack of grip. Albon, meanwhile, has caused produced a brief yellow with an off-track moment.
Sainz moves up to fifth for the time being.
Hamilton set a lap and then went off the road at Turn 1, while Verstappen is now on-track and has a slide at Turn 5.
Piastri moves up to a 1m46.576s, but Hamilton's next effort yields a 1m45.758s.
Piastri opens with a 1m47.162s - "the tyre is starting to die already but it'd be very nervous on slicks," he said. It looked quite tricky at the Turn 14-15-16 complex before the start-finish stretch.
Norris hits the track, as does Ocon.
"At the moment it's too wet for slicks," Piastri reports. Definitely a splash of water as he exits Turn 4, and a slide at Turn 5.
It's not easy out there - water on an already low-grip track.
We have a car on track now: Oscar Piastri, who opens the session. He's out on the intermediate, as there's still damp patches.
Hamilton also hits the road, also on the green-walled inter, as is Bearman.
FP3 is open for business!
It's time to go! Except....it's not - nobody wants to kick us off just yet.
Weather watch
Both track and air temperature sit at 14C, with the race control notices stating that the track is currently wet. It doesn't look too bad, although a bit damp off-line perhaps.
FP3 - the first proper look at the Las Vegas order?
Assuming all goes smoothly, we should get a bit more of a picture of the order in Las Vegas - primarily because quali runs and race simulations were completely sidetracked by the two red flags in FP2. Both stoppages related to the manhole cover at Turn 17.
FP1 and FP2 suggested that Ferrari looked good, but McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes are all angling to be in the mix. Can they tame the low-grip, low-temperature conditions?
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Hector Vivas / Getty Images
FP1 and FP2 - analysis and recap
The pain with drains is mainly on the wane
After yesterday's FP2 session came to an early end following a spot of bother with a manhole cover at Turn 17, the FIA has detailed some of the work done overnight (or over-day, perhaps) to mitigate any further troubles.
According to the governing body, the fault was found with the closing mechanism and has been fixed. This, plus 14 other manholes, have been welded shut around the circuit.
Track staff inspect a loose manhole on track
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
Las Vegas FP3 - coming up!
Hello everyone, and welcome to our live blog following FP3 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix! The session will get under way in about 45 minutes - so stay tuned!
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Clive Mason / Getty Images
