Max fifth in final practice for Las Vegas GP

Published on 23 November 2024 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen concluded the third and final free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in fifth position. While grip was initially hard to find on the slippery Las Vegas circuit, Verstappen seemed to improve in the closing stages on soft tyres. The fastest lap time of the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was a 1:34.137, finishing half a second behind Mercedes driver George Russell, who topped the timesheets. Oscar Piastri finished P2 in his McLaren, followed by Carlos Sainz in P3 and Lando Norris in P4.

With an outside temperature of 15 degrees, and a track temperature of 17, it is cool at the start of the third free practice session at the 6.201-kilometer long Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Zhou Guanyu, in his Sauber, is the first to head to the track, soon joined by Sergio Perez, who sets the first timed lap. The rest of the grid holds back initially, with Max heading out after 15 minutes. On a set of medium compound tyres, he cautiously sets a time of 1:42.180 on the slippery surface. As the track conditions get betters, Verstappen progressively improves his lap times. However, while other drivers are significantly faster on the soft tyres, Verstappen struggles with an undrivable car, expressing his frustration over the team radio. Eventually, he returns to the pits. At that moment, he is at the bottom of the leaderboard.

With just under fifteen minutes left on the clock, Max heads out on the soft compound tyres. On the fresh rubber, the Dutchman clocks the fastest time at that moment (1:34.137). Several drivers dip below Verstappen's time, before the red flag is waved after Lance Stroll parks his smoking Aston Martin next to the track. The session resumes with a minute left on the clock, meaning the drivers can no longer improve their time. Max finishes the third free practice in fifth place, while George Russell finishes fastest with a 1:33.570, followed by Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.

Qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix starts at 7:00 Dutch time.

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Results third free practice Las-vegas: