Source: Official Team Post via X
Ferrari Leads the Charge in FP3 at the 2026 United States Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton set the pace for Ferrari in the final practice session at Austin, with Max Verstappen trailing close behind. Charles Leclerc, who dominated Friday's practice, settled for third in FP3 ahead of the afternoon's qualifying.
Charles Leclerc may have dominated both practice sessions on Friday, but it was his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton who took the spotlight in FP3 at the Circuit of The Americas. As the teams geared up for qualifying later in the day, Hamilton clocked the fastest lap, leaving Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second place and Leclerc in third.
The FIA made headlines after deleting a staggering 207 lap times due to track limit violations, prompting a decision to widen the track limits at several corners and smooth out the approach to Turn 19. These changes didn't seem to slow Hamilton, who topped the session with a 1:34.893.
Behind him, Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell showed solid pace, taking fourth and fifth respectively, while Oscar Piastri secured sixth for McLaren. Audi's Nico Hulkenberg claimed seventh, followed by Lando Norris in eighth for McLaren. Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten, with Hadjar's best effort notably set on medium tyres.
Further down the order, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad occupied 11th and 12th. Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi, Haas' Oliver Bearman, and Franco Colapinto of Alpine completed the top 15. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, Haas' Esteban Ocon, followed by Williams' Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, made up the remainder of the top 20.
Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas found themselves at the back of the pack, ranking 21st and 22nd. The session sets the stage for an intriguing qualifying battle set to start at 4 PM local time in Austin (10 PM UK).