Russell fastest ahead of Piastri as red flag ends Las Vegas FP3 prematurely
After struggling on Friday, Mercedes showed impressive speed, at least in the hands of Russell, to set the fastest time of the day ahead of qualifying.
A 1m34.093s put him just under four-tenths ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Russell’s time remained on top after the red flag was put out with just under five minutes on the clock.
Albon brushed the barrier, clattering it with the left-side of his Williams.
He sustained damage and his rear-left wheel detached, leaving him driving around with just three wheels.
The session didn’t resume as Albon came to a halt, ensuring Russell led the way.
This meant we didn’t see the best from either Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc on course to challenge Russell’s top time had it not been for the red flag.
Similarly, there’s surely more to come from Red Bull, with their best times coming earlier in the session.
However, it was Russell who led the way ahead of Piastri, while Logan Sargeant completed the top three.
Max Verstappen was fourth-quickest ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Albon made it two Williams cars in the top six, less than a tenth ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton struggled relative to Russell in eighth, pipping former Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Kevin Magnussen completed the top 10 for Haas.
