George Russell led Mercedes to a practice sweep at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in FP3 before a late red flag disrupted final qualifying preparations.

Russell's benchmark of 1m33.570s was 0.3s quicker than FP2 and about half a second faster than last year's FP3. The session ended prematurely when Lance Stroll's Aston Martin shut down on Las Vegas Boulevard, requiring recovery due to hybrid system safety concerns.

Oscar Piastri claimed second place (+0.215s), while Carlos Sainz secured third (+0.348s) for Ferrari. Lando Norris finished fourth (+0.438s), completing his lap just before the red flag.

Max Verstappen showed remarkable improvement after Thursday's struggles, initially reporting an "undriveable" car with severe tire graining. Post setup changes, he managed fifth place (+0.567s), noting significantly better grip.

Thursday's practice leader Lewis Hamilton aborted his qualifying simulation, finishing sixth (+0.771s). Williams duo Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto took seventh and eighth, while Magnussen and Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Notable mentions:

• Charles Leclerc was caught mid-purple sector by the red flag, finishing 12th
• Sergio Perez placed 13th despite multiple attempt opportunities
• Lance Stroll, whose car caused the session-ending red flag, finished 19th

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