F1 United States Grand Prix practice 3 at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on October 23, 2021. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Sergio Perez took top spot in the third and final practice session of the 2021 United States Grand Prix ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Perez's Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen, who had a quicker time deleted, in third. The Mexican driver was also fastest in FP2 for Red Bull, with Bottas fastest in FP1, but the Mercedes driver will take a five-place grid penalty on Sunday. In FP3, there was an early-session lull amid high temperatures and stiff winds, causing a couple of spins through the opening corners, before the field came out in force after 15 minutes.
With the track evolving rapidly and temperatures slightly dropping, Perez set the ultimate benchmark of 1m34.701s with 10 minutes remaining, keeping Ferrari's Sainz at bay by 0.104s and Verstappen behind by 0.211s. The Dutchman emerged to set a lap of 1m34.383s that would have put him top were it not deleted for exceeding Turn 19 track limits. A final qualifying effort was abandoned by Verstappen due to traffic at COTA, leading him to quip that he would "buy everyone glasses".
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, P6, also fell foul of track limits, his time of 1m34.458s deleted for a Turn 9 violation just after Verstappen. That left Lando Norris fourth for McLaren and Hamilton's counterpart Bottas in P5. Behind Hamilton was McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo in P7 and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly in P8, the Frenchman's team mate Yuki Tsunoda down in P18.
Charles Leclerc took ninth, 0.987s off the pace for Ferrari, to leave late improver Esteban Ocon of Alpine in P10. Sebastian Vettel therefore dropped down to P11 for Aston Martin. Kimi Raikkonen, 13th, was sandwiched between the two Williams, George Russell in 12th and Nicholas Latifi 14th, while Raikkonen's Alfa Romeo team mate Antonio Giovinazzi was 15th.
Alpine's Fernando Alonso, who will start from the back of the grid having taken all-new power unit components, finished 17th in this session behind Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. AlphaTauri's Tsunoda was bumped down to 18th and ahead of Haas's Mick Schumacher (P19) and Nikita Mazepin (P20) in this session. Perez has now led two sessions at the Circuit of The Americas but Verstappen and Hamilton clearly have pace up their sleeves. Who will take pole when qualifying begins at 1600 local time? Join us on F1.com for live coverage and reaction. (Source: F1)
United States Grand Prix 2021 Practice 3 Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:34.701 | 13 | |
| 2 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:34.805 | +0.104s | 16 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:34.912 | +0.211s | 13 |
| 4 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:34.945 | +0.244s | 13 |
| 5 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 1:34.988 | +0.287s | 15 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:35.219 | +0.518s | 16 |
| 7 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:35.345 | +0.644s | 11 |
| 8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:35.398 | +0.697s | 17 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:35.688 | +0.987s | 17 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:35.711 | +1.010s | 10 |
| 11 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:35.851 | +1.150s | 18 |
| 12 | 63 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:36.023 | +1.322s | 9 |
| 13 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:36.062 | +1.361s | 20 |
| 14 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:36.118 | +1.417s | 8 |
| 15 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:36.252 | +1.551s | 16 |
| 16 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:36.392 | +1.691s | 13 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:36.490 | +1.789s | 12 |
| 18 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:36.572 | +1.871s | 16 |
| 19 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | 1:36.671 | +1.970s | 15 |
| 20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | HAAS FERRARI | 2:03.456 | +28.755s | 15 |
Formula One
Formula One is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, which take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads. While Europe is the sport's traditional base, the championship operates globally, with 13 of the 23 races in the 2021 season taking place outside Europe.
Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.
The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1. It has hosted the Formula 1 United States Grand Pix, MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more. Nestled within the track is Germania Insurance Amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and its 251-foot signature observation tower.
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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