Hamilton leads Ferrari 1-3 in Austin F1 practice

At Circuit of the Americas in Austin on October 24, Hamilton posted a 1:34.893 in Free Practice 3, where the top four were separated by just 0.303 seconds. The Ferrari driver finished 0.168 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc took third, 0.234 seconds off the lead. The FIA’s classification recorded Hamilton’s fastest valid time after a quicker Leclerc lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Verstappen was 0.168 seconds off the lead in the Red Bull. Andrea Kimi Antonelli took fourth for Mercedes, only 0.303 seconds behind Hamilton, and George Russell was fifth, 0.488 seconds back. Both Mercedes cars were close to the front. Oscar Piastri was sixth for McLaren, 0.638 seconds behind, while Lando Norris finished eighth at 0.813 seconds.

Ferrari’s pace came after aerodynamic updates were fitted to the SF-26. The practice results suggested the changes were working at COTA, though the narrow gaps offered little reason to assume the order would hold beyond this session. Ferrari had also topped both Friday sessions: Leclerc led FP2 with a 1:35.291, while Hamilton was fourth in 1:35.906. The FIA’s FP2 classification placed Kimi Antonelli second and Max Verstappen third. Hamilton’s FP3 result completed Ferrari’s sweep of the three practice sessions.

For readers following cars beyond the circuit, RUSSPAIN has also covered public charging expansion, another measure of how vehicle performance meets everyday mobility. On track, McLaren sat further back, with Oscar Piastri sixth and Lando Norris eighth.

Fernando Alonso was 16th in the Aston Martin, 1.562 seconds off the pace. Carlos Sainz finished 20th for Williams, 2.818 seconds behind Hamilton; team-mate Alex Albon was 19th, 2.775 seconds back. Both Spaniards finished well outside the leading group in the final practice classification.