FP3: Piastri leads Russell and Verstappen in final practice at the Australian Grand Prix amid Bearman's struggles
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
MELBOURNE — McLaren driver Oscar Piastri set the fastest lap in the final practice session for the Australian Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while Haas rookie Ollie Bearman experienced another challenging incident.
On a sunlit afternoon, with temperatures rising higher than Friday’s session, drivers had a crucial hour to fine-tune their setups ahead of the all-important Qualifying. Teams faced the strategic dilemma of optimizing car setups for the dry condition practice or preparing for the anticipated rain-hit race.
Bearman, who had previously crashed in FP1 and missed FP2, looked to redeem himself but faced disappointment just minutes into final practice. Replays showed Bearman sliding his wheels onto the grass while braking for Turn 11, resulting in a wild spin and leaving him stranded in the gravel trap - much to the dismay of the Briton and his team. A brief red flag was shown as marshals cleared his car from the track.
When action resumed, the focus shifted back to tire performance and car balance. Red Bull's Liam Lawson, who struggled on Friday, continued to face issues and was compelled to return to the pits for possible recharging problems.
At the session's halfway point, Verstappen led with a 1m 16.646s on soft tires, narrowly ahead of impressive Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, despite Sainz’s minor collision with the Turn 3 wall.
However, Verstappen's attempt to better his time was thwarted by trouble in the final sector, as he reported his car "getting a bit loose." Friday’s pace-setter Charles Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton slotted into second and third for Ferrari during this stint.
As the session concluded, another set of soft tire runs sent the leaderboard into frenzy. Russell, Verstappen, and home favorite Piastri all improved their times, with Piastri setting the fastest lap at 1m 15.921s.
Despite momentary improvement appearances, Lawson continued to suffer issues, with Red Bull confirming a "power unit or power unit system problem on the air side."
Piastri remained on top, narrowly ahead of Russell and Verstappen, who made a mistake at Turn 11 on his final lap. Following were Leclerc, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, and the Williams drivers of Sainz and Albon.
Hamilton ended the session in eighth place, followed by Yuki Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls car, the second McLaren of Lando Norris, Sauber newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, and the VCARB O2 of Isack Hadjar.
Lance Stroll spearheaded the Aston Martin effort in 14th, ahead of Alpine's Jack Doohan, Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber, and teammate Fernando Alonso. Haas’ Esteban Ocon and the troubled Bearman and Lawson rounded out the field.
Drivers and teams will reconvene in the Albert Park paddock for one final briefing before the first Qualifying session of the 2025 season, scheduled to commence at 1600 local time.
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