Max second in final practice in Austin

Published on 24 October 2026 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen finished second in the third and final free practice session ahead of the United States Grand Prix. At the 5.515-kilometre Circuit of the Americas, Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in his Ferrari, with his teammate Charles Leclerc third. The Mercedes drivers, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, completed the top five. Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate, Isack Hadjar, finished tenth.

The weather is dry and sunny in Austin as the third and final practice session gets underway. There is no chance of rain, and with temperatures at 27 degrees Celsius, conditions are pleasant. When the pit-lane light turns green, Sergio Perez is the first to head out in his Cadillac. Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto follow behind. Max is nowhere to be seen on track in the opening minutes, as the Dutchman is only just making his way into the Red Bull Racing garage and appears in no particular hurry.

Like Max, most of the field are in no rush. Ten minutes into the session, only four cars are out on the track: the two Cadillacs and the two Alpines.

Activity on track gradually picks up after the first 15 minutes, although a quarter of the field, including both Red Bulls, remain in the pits. When Max eventually heads out, he is running on a set of medium tyres. His first flying lap sees him set the fastest time in both the first and second sectors. He ultimately puts his RB22 at the top of the timesheets, more than half a second ahead of Oscar Piastri in second. However, the Australian set his time on the soft tyres. Max is unhappy with the gear shifts in his car and makes his feelings abundantly clear over team radio before returning to the pits.

His pit stop is brief, and he is soon back out on track with a new front wing. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc has taken over at the top of the timesheets from his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. Max improves his fastest time but remains just over four tenths off the pace in fourth place.

With 25 minutes remaining, several drivers, including Max, head into the pits to prepare for qualifying simulations. The Ferraris are in P1 and P2 at this stage. Antonelli is the first to begin a run on soft tyres, and the Mercedes driver jumps to the top of the timesheets. Max heads out just as Antonelli sets his time. The Dutchman goes fastest in the first sector, followed by a green second sector, and his lap is ultimately good enough for P1. Antonelli loses his fastest time for exceeding track limits, while Hamilton soon takes over at the top from Max. Hamilton briefly loses first place to Leclerc, but the Monegasque driver also has his lap time deleted for track limits. With nine minutes remaining, Hamilton leads, with Max in second and Leclerc in third.

Max returns to the pits before heading out again with four minutes remaining. Antonelli also goes for another run, but neither driver can challenge for the fastest time. That brings the third and final free practice session to a close.

Results third free practice United States: