Motorsport photoFilip CleerenSat, November 22, 2025 at 1:53 AM UTC·7 min readGeorge Russell has topped a wet-to-dry third practice from Max Verstappen at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, as both McLaren drivers hit trouble.
Russell's late 1m34.054s lap on a drying track was marginally quicker than world champion Verstappen's best time, although the changing conditions meant the session didn't offer much reliable information ahead qualifying.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished at the bottom of the timesheets after not setting flyers towards the end of the session when the track was at its best. Piastri's McLaren car lost telemetry, forcing him to pit, while his team-mate appeared to suffer an electrical issue late on which also saw him lose telemetry.
Following the latest patch of morning showers, the third and final practice session started in damp conditions, a first for the Las Vegas Strip circuit.
Given rain is not expected to return for qualifying and the race, few drivers were initially keen on setting a vast number of laps on intermediates, with Piastri saying, "the tyre is starting to die already but it'd be very nervous on slicks." An off for Alex Albon at Turn 5 further illustrated how sketchy the conditions were, with lap times nearly 10 seconds of dry times.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFerrari's Lewis Hamilton was leading the early intermediate runs with a 1m42.809s, ahead of Norris, Russell and Piastri, while a third of the grid didn't bother to set a run to begin with.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLarenAs conditions had improved by the halfway point, it was championship leader Norris who broke the intermediate spell with a first run on soft tyres.
Norris' race engineer urged him to take "zero risk", but a worrying slide followed by an off-track cut at the Sphere suggested the 6.2km track was not quite ready for slicks yet, with the Briton soon pitting again.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut as conditions continued to improve, all runners switched to the soft tyre over the next few minutes.
While Hamilton barely avoided a collision with Liam Lawson in Turn 14, the braking zone at the end of the Strip, Yuki Tsunoda went top on softs for Red Bull, before being demoted by Charles Leclerc's 1m41.867s.
Times took another tumble when Verstappen bolted on Pirelli's red-walled tyres, improving by over two seconds to set a 1m39.156s. That was the start of a flurry of rapid improvements that saw Leclerc, Hamilton and the Dutchman all cycle through the lead as the benchmark gradually dropped down to the 1m34 range.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVerstappen looked set to top the session with his final tour inside the last five minutes, before Russell took over the lead with a 1m34.054s, a lap that would remain untouched over the final few minutes after Verstappen went wide on his final flyer.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull RacingThe Red Bull driver therefore remained second ahead of Albon, Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and Hamilton, with the second Mercedes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in sixth.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBehind seventh-placed Lawson, Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Alonso claimed eighth and ninth, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
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F1 Las Vegas GP - FP3 results
Photos from Las Vegas GP - Practice
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing TeamGlenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images
Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, WilliamsSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
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Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 02
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, AlpineSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A525
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A525James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL39
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL39Chris Graythen / Getty Images
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB21, Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team VCARB 02Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25Peter Fox / Getty Images
James Vowles, Team Principal of Williams
James Vowles, Team Principal of WilliamsRudy Carezzevoli / Getty Images
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W16
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W16James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 Team
Isack Hadjar, RB F1 TeamJayce Illman / Getty Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing AMR25
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing AMR25Jayce Illman / Getty Images
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCharles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-25
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-25Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Alex Albon, Williams FW47
Alex Albon, Williams FW47Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari SF-25Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
Blaise Matuidi in the Alpine F1 garage
Blaise Matuidi in the Alpine F1 garageSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Blaise Matuidi in the Alpine F1 garage
Blaise Matuidi in the Alpine F1 garageSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss arrive in the Paddock
Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss arrive in the PaddockSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss arrive in the Paddock
Dan Towriss, CEO of TWG Motorsports and Cassidy Towriss arrive in the PaddockSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, FerrariGuido De Bortoli
Ben Affleck in the Paddock
Ben Affleck in the PaddockMichael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images
Ben Affleck in the Paddock
Ben Affleck in the PaddockMichael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, FerrariSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, FerrariSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull RacingMichael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLaurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull RacingMichael Potts / LAT Images via Getty Images
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
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George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, MercedesSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin RacingZak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin RacingZak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGeorge Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, MercedesSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, MercedesSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLarenGlenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLarenGlenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing TeamSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing TeamSam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull RacingSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull RacingSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, MercedesSam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
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