Hamilton Leads FP3 as Ferrari Sweeps US GP Practice Sessions

WHO:

The Race - Lewis Hamilton said he was frustrated with Gabriel Bortoleto over a traffic incident that stewards would review.

The Race - Alex Albon received criticism from Isack Hadjar over an impeding incident; the article said Hadjar’s mistake appeared to carry him toward the slower-moving Williams.

Autosport - Nico Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll were involved in a pit-lane incident.

Autosport - Lewis Hamilton finished first in third practice (FP3), ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.

Autosport - Verstappen drove for Red Bull; Leclerc was Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Autosport - Oscar Piastri finished sixth for McLaren; Nico Hulkenberg was seventh in an Audi, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Pierre Gasly finished ninth for Alpine, and Isack Hadjar was 10th in the second Red Bull.

Motorsport.com - Antonelli said Mercedes had made “a good step forward” in finding performance from its upgrade package.

WHAT:

Autosport - Hamilton’s winning margin in FP3 was 0.168 seconds over Verstappen and 0.234 seconds over Leclerc.

The Race - Ferrari completed a sweep of the top times across all three United States Grand Prix practice sessions.

The Race - Leclerc’s deleted lap was 0.083 seconds faster than Hamilton’s; losing it left Leclerc third, behind Verstappen.

The Race - Ferrari led the longer-run pace during the first part of FP3, before teams switched to qualifying simulations.

The Race - Verstappen ended FP3 with a lock-up, slide and wheelspin.

The Race - The complete FP3 order was Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, Russell, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Norris, Gasly, Hadjar, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoleto, Bearman, Colapinto, Alonso, Ocon, Stroll, Albon, Sainz, Perez and Bottas.

Autosport - Replays showed Stroll was driving down the fast lane as Hulkenberg set off for a practice start after pulling to the side. The stewards said the incident would be investigated after the session.

Autosport - Leclerc’s FP3 time of 1m35.127s was 0.164s faster than his leading time in FP2.

Autosport - Hamilton led FP3 with a 1m34.893s lap, the only time below 1m35s during the session’s final 20 minutes.

Autosport - Verstappen set a 1m35.702s on medium tyres, then improved to 1m35.061s. Leclerc posted 1m35.127s on medium tyres and finished third.

Autosport - Hamilton initially recorded 1m36.716s on soft tyres. Liam Lawson and Piastri subsequently beat that time.

Autosport - Antonelli’s lap, a tenth faster than Leclerc’s time, was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9. Leclerc’s attempt to retake the lead was also invalidated for crossing the white line at Turn 10. Norris’s 1m35.2s lap was deleted for a Turn 10 track-limits violation.

Autosport - Gasly finished a full second behind Hamilton; Hadjar was frustrated with his car’s handling.

WHERE:

The Race - The traffic incident involving Hamilton and Bortoleto occurred during the session at Austin.

Autosport - The practice session took place at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Motorsport.com - Mercedes brought a new front-wing option to Austin.

WHY:

The Race - Hamilton’s fastest time stood while Leclerc’s lap, 0.083 seconds quicker, was deleted for a track-limits violation.

Motorsport.com - Antonelli said Mercedes was still working to get its W17 into the right operating window. He said using the same specification on both cars helped the team test options and understand the package.

Autosport - Track-limits violations prevented Leclerc from reclaiming first place and led to lap deletions for Antonelli and Norris.

HOW:

Autosport - The opening quarter of FP3 was described as pedestrian before the pace picked up. Verstappen set his 1m35.702s on medium tyres and then improved to 1m35.061s.

Motorsport.com - Mercedes’ upgrade package, introduced in Malaysia, raised the car’s performance ceiling but made it more difficult to optimize. Both Antonelli and Russell were using the latest specification after Mercedes split packages in Singapore.

Motorsport.com - Antonelli said Mercedes analyzed data after Singapore and was still trying to determine how to place the car in its optimal performance window.

Autosport - Verstappen complained repeatedly about unsettling downshifts; Red Bull was quickest through sector one.

Lewis Hamilton topped final practice at Circuit of the Americas, leading Max Verstappen by 0.168 seconds and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.234. His 1 minute, 34.893-second lap was the only one below 1 minute, 35 seconds in the session’s final 20 minutes. Ferrari had set the fastest time in each of the three United States Grand Prix practice sessions, but Leclerc’s quicker attempt was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, and said the team had made progress with its upgrades while still working to optimize the car. Oscar Piastri was sixth, with Nico Hulkenberg seventh and Lando Norris eighth. Hamilton also expressed frustration with Gabriel Bortoleto over a traffic incident that stewards were set to review. Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll were involved in a separate pit-lane incident, also referred to the stewards.