2026 United States GP FP3: Hamilton leads Verstappen & Leclerc in Austin

Lewis Hamilton delivered a statement performance in final practice for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap of the weekend to lead Max Verstappen and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc as the Scuderia completed a clean sweep of all three practice sessions at the Circuit of The Americas.

The seven-time world champion produced a blistering 1m 34.893s lap around the 5.513-kilometre Austin circuit, finishing 0.168 seconds clear of Verstappen’s Red Bull, with Leclerc third, 0.234s off the pace. After Leclerc had topped both Friday sessions, Hamilton ensured Ferrari maintained its grip on the timesheets heading into qualifying, underlining the team’s impressive pace across the weekend.

Formula One History Recommends

• 

  2026 United States GP FP1: Leclerc leads Verstappen and Norris

• 

  2026 United States FP2: Leclerc & Ferrari the team to catch

• 

  2026 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Mercedes remained firmly in contention, with 2026 F1 World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finishing fourth, 0.303s behind Hamilton, while George Russell completed the top five, 0.488s adrift. With Antonelli carrying an outside chance of securing his maiden world title in Texas, the leading teams appear closely matched as attention shifts towards the battle for pole position.

2026 United States Grand Prix FP3 Results

2026 United States Grand Prix FP3, 24 October 2026

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:34.893	21
2	3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.168s	16
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.234s	20
4	12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.303s	16
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.488s	18
6	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.638s	16
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+0.698s	19
8	1	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.813s	17
9	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+1.011s	24
10	6	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull Racing	+1.037s	20
11	30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1.038s	17
12	41	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+1.188s	18
13	5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.283s	23
14	87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	+1.342s	17
15	43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1.358s	22
16	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+1.562s	19
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+1.849s	18
18	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.238s	12
19	23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+2.775s	22
20	55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+2.818s	21
21	11	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+2.991s	25
22	77	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.872s	22

Quiet start in Austin before Verstappen sets the early benchmark

Final practice began at 12:30 local time under the Texas sunshine, although there was little immediate urgency as most teams elected to remain in their garages during the opening minutes.

Cadillac’s Sergio Perez, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto were the only three drivers to venture onto the circuit initially, with the latter two facing grid penalties for Sunday’s race. Perez was also looking to build his mileage after missing FP1 on Friday, when American Colton Herta took over his Cadillac for the opening session.

Much of the attention remained on Ferrari following Leclerc’s commanding start to the weekend, although the Monegasque had cautioned against expecting the Scuderia to maintain its advantage. Despite topping both Friday sessions, Leclerc believed rival teams still had additional performance to unlock ahead of qualifying.

That warning appeared justified as FP3 approached the 20-minute mark, with Verstappen moving to the top of the leaderboard courtesy of a 1m 35.702s lap on Pirelli’s medium compound tyres.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri initially emerged as one of the Dutchman’s closest challengers, with Antonelli moving into third as drivers began to push harder around the demanding circuit.

However, track limits quickly returned as a major talking point. Both Lando Norris and Leclerc had their opening efforts deleted for exceeding the permitted boundaries, continuing a remarkable trend from Friday, when 128 lap times were removed during FP2 alone.

Hamilton then made his first significant impression on the session, using the softer compound to displace Verstappen at the top of the order and demonstrate Ferrari’s continued competitiveness.

Leclerc responds as pit lane incident attracts stewards’ attention

While the leading drivers traded improvements, an unusual incident involving Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll brought additional scrutiny to the pit lane.

Replays showed Stroll travelling along the fast lane just as Hulkenberg moved away from a stationary position to complete a practice start, having previously pulled to the side. The close encounter caught the attention of race control, with the stewards confirming that the incident would be investigated after the session.

Back on track, Leclerc began to find his rhythm as FP3 reached its halfway point, producing an impressive 1m 35.127s on the medium tyres to reclaim the fastest time.

The lap was particularly encouraging for Ferrari, improving by 0.164s on the benchmark Leclerc had established during Friday’s second practice session, despite being completed on the harder compound.

Antonelli moved into second behind the Ferrari, followed by Hamilton and Verstappen, although the Red Bull driver was not entirely satisfied with his car. The four-time world champion reported concerns over the gearshifts as his team continued working through its final preparations before qualifying.

With track conditions improving and the session entering its decisive phase, the leading teams began preparing for another series of low-fuel runs on the soft tyres.

Hamilton breaks into the 1m 34s as track limits deny rivals

Mercedes was among the first to make a significant impression on the softer rubber, with Antonelli and Russell both producing competitive laps around COTA.

Antonelli briefly climbed to the top of the timesheets, while Russell moved into third behind Leclerc as the two Mercedes drivers demonstrated their potential qualifying pace.

However, Antonelli’s effort was subsequently deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9, prompting a disappointed response from race engineer Pete Bonnington, who told the Italian, “you were doing so well.”

Verstappen then returned to the head of the order with another improvement, but his advantage proved short-lived as Hamilton delivered the standout lap of the afternoon.

The Ferrari driver became the first competitor to break into the 1m 34s bracket, recording a 1m 34.893s effort to move ahead of Verstappen and strengthen his position heading towards the chequered flag.

Leclerc looked capable of denying his team-mate the fastest time, producing a late flying lap that narrowly moved him ahead of Hamilton. However, the effort was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving the Monegasque unable to capitalise on his improvement.

It was another reminder of the unforgiving margins at the Circuit of The Americas, where even the smallest infringement can prove costly. With qualifying approaching, keeping all four wheels within the white lines could be just as important as outright speed.

Ferrari completes practice sweep as qualifying battle takes shape

The chequered flag confirmed Hamilton as the fastest driver in final practice, with his 1m 34.893s lap securing Ferrari’s third successive session-topping performance of the weekend.

Verstappen finished second, just 0.168s behind the British driver, while Leclerc settled for third after losing his final improvement to track limits.

Antonelli and Russell completed the top five for Mercedes, ensuring that Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes occupied the leading positions ahead of qualifying.

Piastri finished sixth for McLaren, followed by an impressive Nico Hulkenberg in seventh for Audi. Norris ended the session eighth as McLaren continued working to overcome the handling difficulties that had affected both drivers during Friday’s running.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly claimed ninth, while Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10.

Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad occupied 11th and 12th respectively, with the rookie among three drivers set to carry grid penalties into Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Bortoleto finished 13th for Audi, ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman in 14th and Alpine’s Colapinto in 15th. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso followed in 16th, with Esteban Ocon taking 17th for Haas and Stroll placing 18th in the second Aston Martin.

Williams endured another disappointing session, with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz finishing 19th and 20th respectively as the team continued to struggle for competitive lap times around the Austin circuit.

Cadillac completed the order, with Perez 21st ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas in 22nd.

After three closely contested practice sessions, Ferrari heads into qualifying with genuine momentum, having topped every hour of running with both Leclerc and Hamilton. However, Verstappen’s consistent presence near the front and Mercedes’ competitive soft-tyre pace suggest the fight for pole position is far from settled.

Track limits could also play a decisive role, having already cost several leading contenders potentially session-topping laps. With the margins between the front-running teams remaining tight, qualifying promises an intense battle as Formula 1 prepares to establish the grid for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.