Max Verstappen heads into the qualifying round for the Las Vegas Grand Prix with a positive outlook. Although he had to concede to George Russell in the third free practice, his second-place finish offers promise. This is despite the fact that half of the session was conducted on a wet track.
Due to some daytime rain in Las Vegas, the asphalt on and around the Strip is still wet as the third free practice begins (16:30 local time). As a result, most drivers initially stay indoors. A few who do venture out – including Max Verstappen – do so on intermediate tires. The weather is also chilly, with a temperature of 13 degrees and an asphalt temperature of just 14.
Times mean nothing in the opening phase, but Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen, and Lando Norris quickly show their pace in the first quarter. However, the focus of the session is more on gaining experience, as long as the intermediates have to be used. Five drivers don’t even go out on those tires: Bortoleto, Hülkenberg, Stroll, Gasly, and Colapinto.
With half an hour to go, Norris is the first driver to try dry weather tires: he heads out on soft tires, followed by Piastri and Charles Leclerc on the same rubber, and shortly after, Verstappen among others. Some drivers struggle to stay on track, but it’s worth a try. At that point, Hamilton is the fastest man on intermediates. He also tries the softs and nearly drives Liam Lawson off the track.
On the drying track, the soft tire proves to be the fastest choice in the last twenty minutes. Fast laps are exchanged at a rapid pace, especially in the final phase. In this, Verstappen does well, holding the fastest time for a long period. Russell takes over the top spot at the last moment. McLaren keeps both Piastri and Norris in the pits in the closing minutes; the team has a telemetry problem and therefore chooses not to send the drivers out. As a result, they finish last (Norris) and second to last (Piastri).
What this means will become clear a few hours after the third free practice. Because of the semi-wet session, there are still some question marks heading into the qualifying round. The qualifying round starts at 5:00 Dutch time tonight.
