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Hamilton Tops FP3 at COTA as Ferrari Completes Clean Sweep of Practice

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Confirmed

Lewis Hamilton edged out Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in Free Practice 3 at the 2026 United States Grand Prix, giving Ferrari its third consecutive session-leading run. Mercedes and McLaren remained competitive, while track limits violations disrupted qualifying simulations throughout the session and threatened to influence Saturday's qualifying battle.

Practice session classification

Lewis Hamilton topped FP3 with a best lap of 1:34.893, with Max Verstappen 0.168 seconds back in second place and Charles Leclerc 0.234 seconds down in third. [1]

The top ten were completed by Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes, +0.303s), George Russell (Mercedes, +0.488s), Oscar Piastri (McLaren, +0.638s), Nico Hulkenberg (Audi, +0.698s), Lando Norris (McLaren, +0.813s), Pierre Gasly (Alpine, +1.011s), and Isack Hadjar (Red Bull, +1.037s). [1]

Track limits and incidents

Norris and Leclerc had lap times deleted for track limits violations, a theme of the weekend after 128 laps were deleted in FP2. [2]

Audi's Nico Hulkenberg was involved in a pit lane incident with Lance Stroll, with replays showing the Aston Martin driver coming down the fast lane as the German set off for a practice start; the stewards confirmed the moment would be investigated after the session. [2] Kimi Antonelli fell victim to track limits at Turn 9 during his push lap. [2]

Leclerc's subsequent effort then saw him marginally pip his teammate to first once again, but that effort was also deleted for track limits, with Leclerc dropping back into third. [2] Hamilton was the only driver to break the 1m35s barrier in the final 20 minutes of third practice, as frequent track limits transgressions kept Leclerc from leapfrogging him; Antonelli took a tenth out of Leclerc's time on softs but his lap was scratched for breaking track limits at Turn 9. [^2,^6]

Heading into qualifying

Lewis Hamilton made it a practice clean sweep for Ferrari at the United States Grand Prix weekend. [1] With Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren within striking distance, a four-team fight for pole is brewing as track limits threaten to derail qualifying. [9]

Reminder: practice pace is not predictive

Free practice pace is a guide only. Setup changes, fuel loads, and tyre strategies vary across the session and bear no fixed relationship to qualifying speed or race competitiveness. FP3 lap times should not be treated as qualifying predictions.

Related reading

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp3-hamilton-goes-fastest-in-final-practice-session-for-the-united-states-gp-ahead-of-verstappen-and-leclerc.1KQ5x8wUAtBETnHxKDNldC https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp3-hamilton-goes-fastest-in-final-practice-session-for-the-united-states-gp-ahead-of-verstappen-and-leclerc.1KQ5x8wUAtBETnHxKDNldC https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-results-united-states-grand-prix-2026-fp3 https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/10/24/lewis-hamilton-fastest-f1-us-gp-fp3/ https://racingnews365.com/2026-f1-united-states-grand-prix-austin-free-practice-3-results https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-united-states-gp-hamilton-tops-fp3/10867933/ https://www.f1-fansite.com/f1-news/third-free-practice-results-report-2026-united-states-f1-gp/ https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-united-states-gp-lewis-hamilton-tops-fp3/10867914/ https://autoaction.com.au/2026/10/25/hamilton-tops-final-practice-as-four-teams-target-pole

Sources
  1. [1]FP3: Hamilton goes fastest in final practice session for the United States GP ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc (formula1). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  2. [2]F1 results: United States Grand Prix 2026 - FP3 (Circuit of The Americas) (planetf1). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  3. [3]Lewis Hamilton completes Ferrari clean sweep in F1 practice at COTA (motorsportweek). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  4. [4]2026 F1 United States Grand Prix - Austin Free Practice 3 results (racingnews365). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  5. [5]F1 2026 United States GP FP3 Report (pitdebrief). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  6. [6]F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton pips Max Verstappen in FP3 (motorsport-com). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  7. [7]F1 United States GP: Ferrari completes perfect practice record as Hamilton tops FP3 (autosport). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  8. [8]Third Free Practice Results & Report 2026 United States F1 GP (f1fansite). Accessed 2026-10-25.
  9. [9]Hamilton tops final practice as four teams target pole (autoaction). Accessed 2026-10-25.
Published 25 Oct 2026