Hamilton Claims Top Spot in Austin GP FP3, Ferrari Shows Competitive Performance

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the third free practice session (FP3) of the Formula 1 Grand Prix United States 2026 at Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas, on Sunday morning, 25 October 2026 WIB. The Ferrari driver recorded a best lap time of 1 minute 34.893 seconds.

Hamilton finished ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second place, with a gap of 0.168 seconds. Meanwhile, Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc took third position, 0.234 seconds off the fastest recorded time.

The FP3 session ran competitively with repeated position changes on the timing board. Leclerc briefly encountered issues that ran him off the racing line, while all drivers continued refining their lap times ahead of the qualifying session.

Midway through the session, Verstappen temporarily led after posting a lap time of 1 minute 35.702 seconds. Oscar Piastri held second place, while Kimi Antonelli climbed into third position, overtaking Lando Norris.

Hamilton then showed improved pace after switching to soft compound tyres. This strategy moved him to the top of the Standings, displacing Verstappen from the provisional FP3 lead.

Leclerc, who remained running on medium compound tyres, also set a competitive lap time. The Monégasque driver recorded a 1 minute 35.127 second lap and briefly took first position from Hamilton.

The battle intensified when Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell also switched to soft tyres. Antonelli briefly claimed first place, while Russell moved up into third position.

Verstappen then improved his own lap time to reclaim the top spot. However, Hamilton responded in the final moments of the session to post the benchmark 1 minute 34.893 second lap.

No other driver was able to beat this time before the session concluded. Hamilton therefore topped the United States Grand Prix FP3 standings, followed by Verstappen and Leclerc.

Full official results for the third free practice session of the United States Grand Prix, sorted by recorded lap time:

1. Lewis Hamilton — 1 minute 34.893 seconds
2. Max Verstappen — +0.168 seconds
3. Charles Leclerc — +0.234 seconds
4. Kimi Antonelli — +0.303 seconds
5. George Russell — +0.488 seconds
6. Oscar Piastri — +0.638 seconds
7. Nico Hulkenberg — +0.698 seconds
8. Lando Norris — +0.813 seconds
9. Pierre Gasly — +1.011 seconds
10. Isack Hadjar — +1.037 seconds
11. Liam Lawson — +1.038 seconds
12. Arvid Lindbald — +1.188 seconds
13. Sebastian Bortoleto — +1.283 seconds
14. Oliver Bearman — +1.342 seconds
15. Sebastian Colapinto — +1.358 seconds
16. Fernando Alonso — +1.562 seconds
17. Sebastian Ocon — +1.849 seconds
18. Lance Stroll — +2.239 seconds
19. Alex Albon — +2.775 seconds
20. Carlos Sainz — +2.818 seconds
21. Sergio Perez — +2.991 seconds
22. Valtteri Bottas — +3.872 seconds