Ferrari completed a full set of top United States Grand Prix Formula 1 practice times in the final session at Austin, though a track limits deletion for Charles Leclerc meant this time it was Lewis Hamilton on top.
๐ The Core Development
Friday pacesetter Leclerc lost a time that had been 0.083 seconds faster than Hamilton, falling to third behind Max Verstappen as a result as he had to rely on a medium-tyre time.
Ferrari had also been on top during the longer runs in the first part of the session before teams switched to qualifying simulations.
๐ Background & Sector Context
Hamilton expressed his frustration with Gabriel Bortoleto over a traffic incident - one of quite a few in the session - that will be looked at by the stewards.
Leclerc was far from the only driver to fall foul of track limits as the wild number of laptime deletions continued through the session. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli and both McLaren drivers were among the other high-profile transgressors.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Though Leclerc's lap loss meant Red Bull ended the session second with Verstappen, both he and Isack Hadjar had plenty of complaints over team radio and Verstappen having a wild lock-up, slide and wheelspin moment to end his session.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Alex Albon also received Hadjar's team radio ire - albeit for an 'impeding' incident that looked like it only happened because a big mistake from Hadjar carried him towards the slower-moving Williams.
The laptime deletions helped Nico Hulkenberg to get Audi as high as seventh, splitting the McLarens.
