2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix FP3 report and highlights: George Russell leads Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz in final Las Vegas GP practice

Mercedes then wound themselves up for another run on softs, bringing a 1m 34.475s from Russell and a 1m 34.341s from Lewis Hamilton – restoring their early-weekend one-two formation as times edged closer to the 1m 33.825s benchmark in second practice.

Meanwhile, Verstappen’s troubles rumbled on as the Dutchman reported that his car was “only getting worse” and becoming “undriveable”. Running harder tyres, and referencing a problematic left-front, he added: “I can’t drive it. I’m going to crash.”

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It would get better via a trip to the Red Bull garage and a switch to soft rubber, though – Verstappen coming back out on track to clock a 1m 34.137s and edge in front of the Mercedes drivers, who had swapped positions thanks to more Russell gains.

Verstappen’s “miles better” lap opened another sequence of soft-shod efforts, only for the action to be halted with around seven minutes left on the clock thanks to Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin losing power and coming to a halt at the side of the track.

Given that there was not enough time for more flying laps after Stroll’s car had been cleared, only a small number of drivers completed their second run on softs, leading to a final order of Russell (1m 33.570s), Piastri, Sainz, Norris and Verstappen, with FP1 and FP2 pace-setter Hamilton missing out in sixth.