Time for FP3 in Australia! Check out all the results and the full recap of the third free practice session in Melbourne
Everything is set for the start of the third free practice session at the Australian Grand Prix! In just a few minutes, all 20 cars will hit the track. A quick reminder that Charles Leclerc topped FP2 yesterday morning. The focus then shifts to qualifying at 06:00!
LIVE recap of FP3 in Australia!
03:30 – Session ends! Fastest lap for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a time of 1:15.921. George Russell takes second place, followed by Max Verstappen, both just a few thousandths behind the McLaren. Ferrari remains an enigma—Leclerc finishes fourth, 267 milliseconds off the pace, while Hamilton is eighth, nearly half a second behind. A quiet session for Lando Norris, who never seemed to find the rhythm and ends up tenth. A great result for young Kimi Antonelli, who secures fifth place!
03:28 – Russell closes in! The British driver is just 39 milliseconds behind Oscar Piastri, with Verstappen third, trailing by 81 milliseconds
03:22 – Ferrari underwhelms in qualifying simulations: Leclerc is seventh and Hamilton eighth, 365 and 457 milliseconds behind Piastri, respectively. Is the Scuderia hiding its true pace? Meanwhile, Piastri takes the top spot, with Antonelli moving up to fourth
03:16 – Stunning lap from Verstappen! The reigning World Champion sets the pace again with a 1:16.002, demolishing Russell’s previous best by four-tenths. Piastri follows closely, just 75 milliseconds behind. Meanwhile, Williams impresses with Albon in fourth and Sainz in fifth
03:12 – Trouble for Red Bull! Liam Lawson reports power unit issues, raising concerns about potential penalties. Not an ideal start to his first weekend with the team
03:10 – No luck for Norris, who remains second, one-tenth behind Russell
03:08 – The leaderboard shakes up in seconds: Russell jumps to P1 with a 1:16.402, followed by Verstappen two-tenths behind. The Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton are close, with the Brit just one-thousandth of a second behind his teammate. Now, all eyes are on McLaren
03:02 – Hamilton aborts his lap despite a purple first sector, which was a full tenth faster than anyone else. Meanwhile, a surprise performance from Williams—Alexander Albon moves into second place, just one-tenth behind Verstappen, despite using the hard compound tires!
02:55 – Verstappen back on top! The Dutchman puts Red Bull back in the lead with a 1:16.646. Russell follows, nearly six-tenths behind, with Piastri and Hamilton close behind. The Brit is only 13 milliseconds off the McLaren driver
02:52 – First lap for Charles Leclerc, who sets the fourth-fastest time at 1:17.847. Meanwhile, Doohan moves up to third, while Piastri takes the top spot with a 1:17.298
02:46 – More trouble for Red Bull! Liam Lawson is forced to abort his lap due to unexpected issues with his RB21. The team calls him back to the garage. Meanwhile, Verstappen sets the fastest time of 1:17.632 on soft tires
02:39 – The session will resume in two minutes, as confirmed by the FIA. Green flag at 02:41.
002:33 – Spin for Oliver Bearman! The Haas driver loses control in the chicane at Turn 12 and ends up beached in the gravel. Red flag!
02:30- 2:30 – Green light! The third free practice session kicks off in Melbourne, with the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton heading out first.
Photo: MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, F1, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Williams Racing, McLaren
