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 joined for another run on the 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 problems rumbled on as the Dutchman reported that his car was “only getting worse” and becoming “undriveable”. Running harder tires and referring to a problematic left front, he added: “I can’t drive it. I’m going to crash.”

READ MORE: What Verstappen needs to do to take his fourth title in Las Vegas

Things would improve though via a trip to the Red Bull garage and a switch to soft rubber – Verstappen got back on track to clock 1m 34.137s and edge ahead of the Mercedes drivers who had swapped positions thanks to more Russell gains.

Verstappen’s “miles better” lap opened another sequence of soft-shoe 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 stopping at the side of the track.

With not enough time for more flying laps after Stroll’s car was 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 pacesetter Hamilton missing out on sixth place.