News Summary

• Lewis Hamilton topped FP3 in Austin with a 1:34.893, beating Max Verstappen by 0.168s and Charles Leclerc by 0.234s.
• Ferrari finished all three United States Grand Prix practice sessions on top, with Hamilton taking over from Leclerc, who led both Friday sessions.
• Verstappen finished second despite angrily complaining about Red Bull’s gearshifts, while Antonelli and George Russell completed the top five for Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton led the third and final free-practice session for the 2026 United States Grand Prix on Saturday (October 24), setting a 1:34.893 to defeat Max Verstappen by 0.168 seconds at Circuit of The Americas. The seven-time world champion ended Charles Leclerc’s run at the top of the timing screens, although the Monegasque finished third to complete another competitive session for Ferrari.

Verstappen recorded a 1:35.061 in the Red Bull, while Leclerc finished 0.234s behind his teammate with a 1:35.127.

Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli secured fourth with a 1:35.196, followed by George Russell in fifth, 0.488s behind Hamilton.

Oscar Piastri placed sixth for McLaren, ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar.

The result gave Ferrari the fastest lap in every practice session at Austin, although the narrow differences between Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc and Antonelli indicated that the fight for pole position remained open.

Hamilton beats Verstappen as Ferrari completes practice sweep

Ferrari arrived in Austin with an aerodynamic development package intended to improve the competitiveness of the SF-26 during the final part of the championship.

The Italian manufacturer immediately demonstrated encouraging pace, with Leclerc leading FP1 and FP2 on Friday.

However, Hamilton had struggled to extract a representative lap from the car during the opening sessions, finishing sixth in FP1 and fourth in FP2.

The Briton also complained about the balance of his Ferrari over the circuit’s uneven surface.

Saturday’s final practice provided a different result.

Hamilton improved steadily as the session progressed, recording a 1:35.561 during an earlier soft-tyre run before finding further performance in the closing stages.

His decisive 1:34.893 was the first lap below 1min35s during the weekend.

Verstappen responded with a competitive attempt, but his 1:35.061 left him 0.168s behind.

Leclerc subsequently secured third, giving Ferrari two cars among the fastest three drivers.

Hamilton’s fastest lap was 0.398s quicker than Leclerc’s leading FP2 time, although improvements in track conditions, tyres and car set-up prevent that difference from being attributed solely to Ferrari’s development package.

Verstappen finishes second despite angry gearshift complaints

Verstappen remained among the leading contenders, but his session was complicated by frustration with the behaviour of the RB22.

During FP3, the four-time champion delivered an angry radio message about the car’s gearshifts.

“Nice! Yeah, **** this. Honestly, it’s stupid, it’s so dumb!” Verstappen complained.

The Dutchman then directly questioned the behaviour of the transmission.

“Why are the shifts so bad?”

The radio message reflected his dissatisfaction with the way the car was changing gears, although Red Bull did not immediately confirm whether the problem involved a mechanical defect or its control settings.

Verstappen had previously encountered similar difficulties during the Belgian Grand Prix, when he explained that a software adjustment had affected the gearshift behaviour.

There is no confirmation that the problems experienced in Austin share the same cause.

Despite the complaints, Verstappen improved to second place and remained within two-tenths of Hamilton.

Red Bull entered the weekend following victories in Malaysia and Singapore, with the team seeking a third consecutive triumph after recovering significant competitiveness during the second half of the season.

The Dutchman’s latest result maintained that momentum, although Ferrari remained ahead during all three practice sessions.

Antonelli and Russell keep Mercedes within reach

Mercedes completed the top five with Antonelli fourth and Russell fifth.

Antonelli recorded a 1:35.196, placing him 0.303s behind Hamilton and only 0.069s behind Leclerc.

Russell followed with a 1:35.381, 0.488s off the fastest lap.

The two Mercedes drivers entered Saturday after a mixed Friday, during which Antonelli had finished second in FP2 while Russell struggled to complete a clean qualifying simulation.

The team made changes to improve the balance of the W17 between Friday’s sessions, addressing braking and corner-entry difficulties reported by both drivers.

The adjustments helped Antonelli close to within 0.042s of Leclerc during FP2.

Mercedes continued refining its set-up during final practice, seeking further improvement before qualifying.

Antonelli arrived in Austin with a 102-point championship advantage over Russell and an opportunity to secure the Drivers’ Championship during Sunday’s race.

The Italian will nevertheless face competition from Ferrari and Red Bull in the battle for pole position.

McLaren remains behind leading trio as Hülkenberg impresses for Audi

McLaren’s drivers finished sixth and eighth during the final practice session.

Piastri led the team’s efforts with a 1:35.531, 0.638s behind Hamilton.

Norris recorded a 1:35.706, leaving him eighth and 0.813s away from the Ferrari benchmark.

The result represented an improvement compared with Friday’s second session, when both McLarens finished more than a second behind Leclerc.

However, neither driver matched the fastest laps of Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes.

McLaren had previously reported encouraging race pace despite struggling with its qualifying simulations, suggesting that its single-lap results did not fully reflect the potential of the MCL40.

Hülkenberg was one of the surprises of FP3, finishing seventh for Audi with a 1:35.591.

The German was only 0.698s behind Hamilton and ahead of Norris, Gasly and Hadjar.

His result contrasted with Friday’s FP2, when he finished 18th.

Audi teammate Gabriel Bortoleto was 13th, while Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad placed 11th and 12th for Racing Bulls.

Gasly gave Alpine a place in the top ten with ninth, ahead of Hadjar.

Track limits remain crucial ahead of Austin qualifying

Circuit of The Americas continued presenting difficulties as teams prepared for qualifying.

The track’s combination of heavy braking, high-speed direction changes and uneven asphalt has made it difficult for drivers to maintain consistent laps.

Track limits were another important factor throughout Friday.

Several drivers lost competitive laps after running beyond the white lines, particularly through the circuit’s slower sections.

Leclerc also had a lap deleted during FP3 after exceeding the track limits at Turn 12.

Hamilton managed to complete his fastest attempt without a comparable infringement, securing the leading time.

The issue could become particularly important during qualifying because deleted laps may affect whether drivers progress through Q1 and Q2.

Drivers have also complained about the circuit’s bumps, with Norris and Verstappen questioning the physical demands of the surface.

Their criticism is detailed in Norris’s warning about Austin’s uneven track.

United States GP 2026 FP3 results — classification

Classification transcribed from the timing screenshot provided. Valtteri Bottas’s lap time was not visible and awaits confirmation.

What time is United States GP qualifying?

Qualifying takes place on Saturday, October 24, beginning at 16:00 local time in Austin.

The session will determine the provisional starting order for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

The complete Austin qualifying timetable and broadcast guide provides the full international schedule and viewing options.

Three drivers also face grid penalties after power-unit component changes: Bortoleto, Colapinto and Lindblad.

Their sanctions are detailed in the FIA’s United States Grand Prix grid penalties.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.