Hold onto your helmets, racing fans, because the Las Vegas Grand Prix just got a whole lot more intriguing! George Russell snatched the top spot in a thrilling, wet-to-dry FP3 session, edging out Max Verstappen by a razor-thin margin. But here’s where it gets controversial: while Russell and Verstappen battled for supremacy, both McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, found themselves at the bottom of the timesheets. And this is the part most people miss: technical troubles, not driver error, were the culprits behind their underwhelming performance.
The session kicked off under damp conditions—a first for the Las Vegas Strip circuit—thanks to an early morning shower. With rain unlikely to return for qualifying or the race, drivers were initially hesitant to push hard on intermediate tires. Alex Albon’s off at Turn 5 highlighted the tricky conditions, with lap times nearly 10 seconds slower than dry weather benchmarks. Piastri summed it up perfectly: “The tire is starting to die already, but it’d be very nervous on slicks.”
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton led the early intermediate runs, but as the track dried, the real action began. Championship leader Norris was the first to switch to soft tires, but a slide and an off-track excursion at the Sphere suggested the circuit wasn’t quite ready for slicks yet. However, as conditions improved, all drivers eventually made the switch, leading to a flurry of rapid lap times.
But here’s the kicker: just as Verstappen looked set to claim the top spot, Russell swooped in with a late 1m34.054s lap, securing his lead. Verstappen’s final attempt was compromised by a wide moment, leaving him second. Meanwhile, the McLaren duo’s struggles continued, with Piastri losing telemetry due to a car issue and Norris facing an electrical problem late in the session.
This raises a thought-provoking question: How much of a factor will technical reliability play in this weekend’s race? With such fine margins separating the top drivers, even the smallest issue could be race-defining. What do you think? Is this the year we see a dark horse take the checkered flag due to unforeseen technical challenges? Let us know in the comments below!