Vegas Roulette: Russell’s Gamble Pays Off as McLaren Hits the Jackpot… in Reverse

If you ever needed a reminder that Formula 1 is a sport built on unpredictability, look no further than the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix’s third and final practice session. Under the neon haze and with the Strip still glistening from earlier rain, the world’s fastest circus delivered a session that would have made even the most seasoned bookmakers weep. George Russell, Mercedes’ perennial nearly-man, topped the timesheets, while championship leader Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri found themselves at the bottom, staring up at a results board that looked like it had been shuffled by a croupier with a wicked sense of humor.

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Welcome to Las Vegas, where the only thing you can bet on is chaos.

The Strip Runs Wet: A Session Drenched in Drama

Las Vegas is a city that thrives on spectacle, but even the showrunners at Liberty Media couldn’t have scripted a more dramatic FP3. The session began with the track still damp from earlier showers, a rare sight in the Nevada desert. Drivers tiptoed out on intermediate tires, the green-walled Pirellis barely clinging to the slippery tarmac. Oscar Piastri was the first to brave the conditions, but it was Lando Norris who set the early pace—before the session’s true madness began.

As the clock ticked down, the track dried and the tension ratcheted up. Norris, ever the gambler, was the first to bolt on slicks, but the McLaren’s grip was as elusive as a straight flush at a back-alley poker table. The rest of the field soon followed, and the times began to tumble in a frenzied qualifying simulation.

But as the session reached its crescendo, the real surprises emerged. George Russell, who has made a career out of being in the right place at the wrong time, found himself perfectly positioned. With a lap of 1:34.054, he seized the top spot, leaving Max Verstappen—never one to hide his frustrations—0.227 seconds adrift and muttering about traffic and missed opportunities.

“It was a busy final practice session in Las Vegas, with championship leader Norris finishing well down the order,” reported Formula1.com, capturing the sense of disbelief that swept through the paddock. (source)

The Table is Turned: Surprises Up and Down the Order

If you’d placed a bet on Alex Albon finishing third in FP3, you’d be cashing in your chips. The Williams driver, often the forgotten man in the midfield, delivered a lap just 0.821 seconds off Russell’s pace. Isack Hadjar, in the Racing Bulls, slotted into fourth—a result that would have seemed fanciful at the start of the season.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, now in Ferrari red and still searching for that elusive eighth title, managed fifth. But the real story was at the other end of the table, where the McLarens of Norris and Piastri languished in 19th and 20th. Technical gremlins and a poorly timed switch to slicks left the championship protagonists with more questions than answers.

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“Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri didn’t have those late runs to round out the weekend’s practice, with their cars brought back to the garage in the final ten minutes, the Australian struggling with telemetry issues – leaving them 19th and 20th on the boards,” wrote GPFans, summing up the misery in the papaya garage. (source)

FP3 Results: The Full House

Here’s how the cards fell in FP3:

(Full results and session report)

When the House Wins: Historical Parallels and the Curse of FP3

Now, before the McLaren faithful start lighting candles and composing dirges, let’s remember: FP3 is a notorious trickster. History is littered with sessions where the form book was torn to shreds, only for order to be restored by qualifying. Consider the 2009 Australian Grand Prix, when reigning champion Lewis Hamilton finished 18th in FP3, or the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, where Hamilton was 14th—both times, the world didn’t end (though Hamilton’s mood certainly soured).

And who could forget the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, where a newly resurfaced, rain-soaked Istanbul Park saw midfielders dominate the timesheets, only for the race to deliver one of the most memorable drives of the decade? Wet or mixed FP3 sessions have a habit of scrambling the order, allowing unexpected names to shine and top teams to look mortal.

“FP3 is often the first true indicator of qualifying pace, so when top teams or championship contenders finish at the bottom, it sends shockwaves through the paddock and fans. Sometimes it’s a sign of real trouble; other times, it’s a red herring due to fuel loads or setup experimentation.” (knowledge_tool historical summary)

Russell’s Redemption: The Nearly-Man Strikes Gold

For George Russell, topping FP3 in Las Vegas is more than just a statistical footnote. The Briton has spent much of his career as Formula 1’s answer to Sisyphus—forever pushing the boulder of expectation up the hill, only to watch it roll back down. With three Grand Prix wins to his name (São Paulo 2022, Austria 2024, and Las Vegas 2024), Russell is no stranger to the sharp end, but he’s also no stranger to heartbreak.

His performance in FP3, on a drying track and under immense pressure, is a reminder that on his day, Russell can mix it with the very best. Whether this translates into qualifying success remains to be seen—after all, as any seasoned observer will tell you, Let’s wait for the third race before calling anyone a legend.

McLaren’s Meltdown: When the Wheels Come Off

If Russell’s session was a triumph, McLaren’s was a Greek tragedy. Lando Norris, the championship leader, and Oscar Piastri, his closest rival, were both undone by a combination of technical issues and strategic missteps. Norris’s early switch to slicks was a gamble that didn’t pay off, while Piastri’s telemetry woes left him stranded in the garage as the track improved.

“It was pretty nasty, probably some of the worst conditions, if not the worst. It was so slippery, so difficult,” Norris said after qualifying, reflecting on the treacherous conditions that defined the weekend. (source)

For a team that has spent much of 2025 at the sharp end, the sight of both cars at the bottom of the timesheets is a sobering reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1. Yet, as history shows, a disastrous FP3 is not always a harbinger of doom. The real test comes when the lights go out in qualifying and the stakes are at their highest.

The Wildcards: Albon, Hadjar, and the Midfield Revolution

While the headlines will focus on Russell and McLaren, spare a thought for the midfielders who seized their moment in the Vegas spotlight. Alex Albon’s third place is a testament to Williams’ quiet resurgence, while Isack Hadjar’s fourth for Racing Bulls is the kind of result that gets tongues wagging in the paddock.

These are the drivers and teams who, given the right conditions, can upset the established order. In a sport where the margins are razor-thin, a well-timed lap on a drying track can make all the difference. As the old saying goes, Back in my day, we had gear sticks, not marketing departments—but even in this era of data and simulation, sometimes it’s just about being in the right place at the right time.

The Ghosts of Vegas Past: When Practice Lies

It’s worth remembering that Las Vegas has always been a venue that defies expectations. From the infamous Caesars Palace car park races of the early 1980s to the glitzy return in 2023, the city has a knack for producing the unexpected. The 2025 edition is no different, with FP3 serving as a timely reminder that in Formula 1, the only certainty is uncertainty.

“It remains almost impossible to predict who’ll end up where in qualifying, track evolution so extreme that starting a lap just a minute later than a rival could make a difference of multiple tenths of a second,” observed GPFans, capturing the essence of the Vegas challenge. (source)

Waste a Bit More Time

If you’re still hungry for more Vegas drama, here are some links to keep you entertained while you wait for qualifying:

• FP3: Russell goes fastest from Verstappen and Albon during final practice in Las Vegas (Formula1.com)
• Russell beats Verstappen in Vegas FP3 as McLarens lap slowest of all (The Race)
• Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 3 – Results (F1i.com)
• F1 Results Today: McLaren take huge Norris risk as door thrown wide open at Las Vegas GP (GPFans)
• Norris takes pole in rainy Las Vegas qualifying, Verstappen bumped to second (TSN)

And if you want to relive the chaos in moving pictures, check out the official F1 YouTube channel for highlights and analysis.