Las Vegas Grand Prix: Free Practice 3: George Russell ahead of Oscar Piastri, Alex Albon brings the session to a halt
George Russell in the Mercedes is three tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri's McLaren and Logan Sargeant in the Williams. Alexander Albon makes a mistake five minutes before the end of the session, causing the session to be interrupted before the end of the time.
The temperatures are cool on this Friday evening in Vegas, but not as cold as they are for Free Practice 3. The track temperature is 19°C (8:30pm in Las Vegas) and the air temperature is 17°C. It is relatively low compared to the 50°C experienced in Doha, for example, but not dramatic for now with the softest tires. However, the qualifying session will be cooler.
The drivers have been cautious. Some tire lock-ups are seen on the track and some braking errors at the end of long straight lines reveal certain grip problems on this new and barely rubberized track. The conditions are still challenging and the lap times will only truly be revealed in qualifying.
The end of the session was triggered by a red flag following Alexander Albon’s Williams accident. The Thai driver hit the wall and lost his left rear tire, which resulted in the appearance of the red flag.
Due to this premature interruption, the drivers were unable to participate in grid tests and, as a result, we are witnessing a qualifying session with truly unknown forces in play.
Results of Free Practice 3 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
| Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.093 | 23 | |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:34.491 | +0,398 | 20 |
| 3 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:34.645 | +0,552 | 17 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.653 | +0,560 | 14 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.706 | +0,613 | 13 |
| 6 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:34.726 | +0,633 | 14 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco | 1:34.788 | +0,695 | 18 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:34.853 | +0,760 | 24 |
| 9 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:34.908 | +0,815 | 18 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:35.067 | +0,974 | 18 |
| 11 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:35.089 | +0,996 | 17 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:35.112 | +1,019 | 17 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco | 1:35.253 | +1,160 | 20 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:35.297 | +1,204 | 15 |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:35.881 | +1,788 | 15 |
| 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:35.908 | +1,815 | 22 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:35.939 | +1,846 | 21 |
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:36.087 | +1,994 | 15 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:36.485 | +2,392 | 12 |
| 20 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:37.778 | +3,685 | 15 |
