The third and final practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix has just concluded, officially bringing the weekend into full swing. Teams can no longer hide, and while Ferrari shows signs of competitiveness, Lando Norris remains the favorite, leaving significant gaps to his rivals. Max Verstappen concentrated on race pace, struggling in qualifying trim, while Oscar Piastri faced similar challenges. Here’s a detailed summary of FP3 and the results.
First 30 minutes
The session began slowly, with all cars staying in the pits for the first five minutes. Max Verstappen was the first to set a competitive time on yellow tires, posting a 1:18.914. Lewis Hamilton struggled early, making three mistakes in three separate flying laps.
The session started heating up 15 minutes in, with drivers alternating between yellow and red tires. Norris and Hamilton both went long in turn 4. Carlos Sainz set the fastest time after 20 minutes with a 1:18.028 on red tires, though it was not particularly indicative. Behind him, the championship battle was already shaping up: Norris and Verstappen on yellow tires were separated by just 0.014 seconds, while Piastri and Hamilton were slightly further back. Charles Leclerc was close behind the top duo, just 0.010 seconds off Lando Norris.
Norris soon asserted himself, taking first position on yellow tires with minimal gaps to rivals. Piastri, however, was nearly half a second behind, affected by traffic. The Mercedes drivers started later, with George Russell moving up to third, just 0.013 seconds off Norris. Verstappen focused on race pace, running consistent 1:22.0–1:22.2 lap times.
Last 30 minutes
The Red Bulls impressed on red tires, getting within two-tenths of the top. Verstappen continued race simulation, keeping steady in the 1:22.2–1:22.4 range. The qualifying simulation was incredibly tight, with the top 16 drivers within just seven-tenths, while Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, and the two Alpine drivers trailed further behind. George Russell briefly led with a 1:17.892 on yellow tires.
In the final 20 minutes, all cars switched to red tires for their last runs before qualifying. Hamilton initially set the fastest lap under 1:17, but Norris immediately responded with a 1:16.633, putting three-tenths between himself and Hamilton, six-tenths to Piastri, and seven to Max Verstappen.
In the final attempts, George Russell climbed to third and Kimi Antonelli to fifth. Max Verstappen improved but remained six-tenths off Norris’ exceptional lap. Leclerc also improved on used tires but still fell short of first place.
FP3 in Mexico concludes with Norris on top. Who will claim pole? The action continues at 23:00 Central European Time.
Practice three results:
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m16.633s
2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.345s
3 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.512s
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.566s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.599s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.609s
7 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.620s
8 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.763s
9 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.782s
10 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.893s
11 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.919s
12 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.941s
13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.965s
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +1.031s
15 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.168s
16 Alex Albon (Williams) +1.361s
17 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +1.413s
18 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.779s
19 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.948s
20 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.978s
Leave a Reply