Lewis Hamilton upheld Ferrari’s dominance in free practice on Saturday at COTA, with the seven-time world champion topping FP3 for the United States Grand Prix with a 0.168s margin over Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The Briton's Scuderia teammate Charles Leclerc clocked in third, 0.234s adrift, while Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completed the top five for Mercedes.
Hamilton was the only driver to break the 1m35s barrier, with track limits once again playing a decisive role in the battle for supremacy.
Ferrari pace meets the white lines
After a subdued opening quarter, the session gradually came alive as Hamilton posted a 1m36.716s on Pirelli’s soft tyres. That benchmark was quickly beaten by Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, while several frontrunners initially stuck with the medium compound.
Verstappen briefly took control with a 1m35.702s on mediums, despite continuing to complain about unsettling downshifts in his Red Bull.
Hamilton responded on softs with a 1m35.561s, only for Leclerc to demonstrate Ferrari’s underlying pace by clocking 1m35.127s on the slower compound.
The final 20 minutes brought a flurry of improvements. Kimi Antonelli briefly threatened to take the lead, shaving a tenth off Leclerc’s time, but his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9.
Verstappen then reclaimed top spot with a 1m35.061s, benefiting from Red Bull’s impressive speed through the opening sector. Hamilton had the final word, however, producing a 1m34.893s to establish himself at the head of the field.
Leclerc might have challenged him, but another track-limits infringement, this time at Turn 10, scuppered his attempt to return to the top.
Mercedes faces a fight
Leclerc consequently had to settle for third behind Hamilton and Verstappen, with Antonelli fourth ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
The Silver Arrows appeared to be a fraction short of the outright pace, leaving both drivers with work to do before qualifying.
Piastri took sixth in a tricky McLaren MCL40, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg claimed seventh ahead of Lando Norris. The world champion also had a lap deleted at Turn 10, costing him a potentially stronger result.
Pierre Gasly placed ninth for Alpine, a full second off Hamilton’s benchmark, with Isack Hadjar completing the top ten. The Frenchman remained frustrated with the handling of his Red Bull as the teams turned their attention to qualifying.
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