Max fourth in third free practice Las Vegas

Published on 18 November 2023 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen set the fourth time in the third free practice session in Las Vegas. The session was stopped early, with only a couple of minutes left on the clock, when Alex Albon hit the wall. George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time, ahead of Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and the American Logan Sargeant (Williams).

The third free practice session starts at 20:30 local time in Las Vegas, 5:30 early morning in the Netherlands. The circuit is illuminated by artificial light with in the background iconic locations like Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Venetian and of course the Sphere.

At the beginning of the session all three tyre compounds are used, but soon the medium tyre appears to be the most chosen option. Also for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz going fastest. Verstappen comes out on track after twenty minutes; he is on soft tyres.

Now and then, drivers go straight ahead on the slippery tarmac, but all can continue without sustaining damage. Max sets the third fastest time in his first flying lap. Halfway the session, his Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Sergo Pérez is fastest (1:35.146) on soft tyres. Until Max goes faster, setting a 1:34.653, just before coming back into the pits.

Alex Albon then sets the third fastest time in his Williams but is almost nine tenths of a second slower than Verstappen. George Russell takes over third place on his first flying lap in his Mercedes on soft tyres. He is half a second faster than Albon. With sixteen minutes to got it is Fernando Alonso who takes P3, with Lewis Hamilton only in P6.

The track is continually evolving, and Russell gets ahead of Verstappen. Max comes back out on track with thirteen minutes to go. He is on his way to set a faster time but must abort his lap when going straight ahead. Finally, Ferrari also comes out on soft tyres when Oscar Piastry sets the fastest time. Williams is doing well in Las Vegas, with Logan Sargeant in P3 and Albon in P6.

Russell improves his fastest time, when with six minutes to go, Albon hits the wall. His Williams crashes into the barriers when exiting turn five and loses the left rear tyre. A yellow flag turns into a red flag and the session is stopped prematurely, with Max in fourth place.

During the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, Max will sport a special helmet design. His RB19 features a Las Vegas inspired livery. You can pre-order the scale models for both helmets and cars on Verstappen.com

Contest Las Vegas GP: win a 1:43 Max Verstappen Formula 3 2014 scale model!

Results third free practice Las Vegas: