Verstappen heads Leclerc by 0.3s in final practice

Max Verstappen ended Free Practice 3 fastest following a lap in the final minute of the session ahead of tomorrow’s Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver headed Charles Leclerc by 0.3s after the last hour of running prior to Qualifying with Carlos Sainz a further tenth back in third.

Teams had limited running on Friday given the tyre test in Free Practice 2 prevented any meaningful running, giving the session greater importance.

Unusually, both Red Bull drivers were out early, Sergio Perez immediately banking a 1:37.613s on his first timed lap using a set of soft compound tyres.

That quickly became the third-best time when Leclerc set a 1:37.471s and Verstappen a 1:37.536s.

Yuki Tsunoda remained in the pits as the session began as work was carried out on his Scuderia AlphaTauri.

There were also dramas for Mick Schumacher, who crawled along the front straight having suffered a suspected gearbox issue as he rounded the final corner after eight minutes.

A second run saw Verstappen rise to the top of the timesheets with a 1:36.706s with Sainz second, on the medium tyres, with a 1:36.894s.

At McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo reported a problem with the brake pedal as he toured back to the pits. He complained that the pedal felt tight, as though it were at the end of its travel, and offered no bite.

That was promptly rectified and he sent back out, reporting an improvement back to the pit wall.

At the top of the timesheets, times continued to drop, with Lewis Hamilton and Perez both bettering Verstappen’s earlier effort.

The final quarter of the session saw teams focus their attention on qualifying simulations, with most heading out on a fresh set of soft compound tyres.

A scrappy lap from Verstappen saw the Dutchman run long at the first corner before a moment exiting The Andretti also cost him time.

Blustery conditions battered the Circuit of The Americas, the Red Bull driver going for a second lap to improve with a 1:36.223s that left him fastest.

Leclerc was also on a fast lap, though oversteer in the Ferrari saw him 0.010s slower than the champion-elect.

Sainz also had an untied lap en route to his 1:36.271s while Hamilton slotted in fourth fastest with a 1:36.401s.

Verstappen improved inside the final minute to record a 1:35.825s to move 0.320s clear at the top of the timesheets as the chequered flag fell.

Leclerc remained second from Sainz, with Perez improving over Hamilton to take fourth.

The balance of the top 10 was Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll, and Pierre Gasly.

Tsunoda eventually logged 18 laps, ultimately losing next to nothing despite his delayed entry into the session.

Guanyu Zhou meanwhile managed just three laps with an undisclosed technical problem that left him at the foot of the standings, 3.9s away from Verstappen’s best.

Qualifying now follows, starting at 17:00 local time (23:00 BST/09:00 AEDT).

Results: Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, Free Practice 3