By Rory Carroll
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – George Russell topped the time sheets in the final practice ahead of qualifying at the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix on Friday, beating out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Mercedes’ Russell set the pace with a lap of one minute, 33.570 seconds, 0.215 clear of Piastri and 0.348 better than Sainz in a session that saw a late red flag.
Defending Las Vegas Grand Prix champion Max Verstappen, who can claim his fourth consecutive title for Red Bull on Saturday, struggled again with grip in slippery conditions in the race along the glamorous Las Vegas Strip.
“I can’t drive it. I’m going to crash,” Verstappen said early in the practice session.
But the Dutchman said he felt “miles better” after a switch to soft tires and bounced back to finish the practice in fifth with a time of 1:34.137.
Verstappen was still left looking up to fourth place finisher Lando Norris of McLaren, who clocked a lap of 1:34.008.
Lewis Hamilton swept the first two practice sessions on Thursday and was sharp again on Friday, leading the pack early before finishing sixth, 0.771 behind his Mercedes team mate Russell.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll stopped on the track in the waning moments of the session leading to a late red flag.
Qualifying for Saturday’s race will be held later on Friday.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Las Vegas; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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