Russell Leads TL3 Ahead of Norris and Max; Bortoleto Finishes 11th

The Formula 1 kicked off Saturday at the Yas Marina circuit with the third free practice session for the Abu Dhabi GP, the final race of the 2025 season. In a session affected by Lewis Hamilton’s crash, George Russell emerged on top towards the end, ahead of two out of the three title contenders, with Lando Norris in second and Max Verstappen in third, while Oscar Piastri finished fifth and Gabriel Bortoleto in 11th. Like FP1, FP3 ends up being not very representative for the drivers, as it takes place in the middle of the afternoon, with a much hotter track compared to what they will face in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. Therefore, the session had a less hectic start. In the first five minutes, only the Aston Martin and Alpine duos hit the track. After the initial 20 minutes, many drivers had not even left the pits yet, including Verstappen and the Mercedes duo. Among those who had set laps, Norris was leading with a time of 01min24s728, 0s165 ahead of Tsunoda, with Piastri, Hamilton, and Stroll rounding out the top 5. Bortoleto was in ninth, 1s132 adrift, but with the Sauber duo being the only ones on medium tires compared to the rest on softs. As the session reached its halfway point, Verstappen was in the lead with a time of 01min24s245, 0s059 ahead of Stroll, with Bearman in third, 0s086 behind, while Hamilton and Leclerc completed the top 5. Norris was sixth, ahead of Bortoleto, still on mediums, with Tsunoda, Lawson, and Ocon rounding out the top ten. Piastri was 15th, 0s083 off the pace. Soon after, a red flag. Hamilton was on a quick lap when, approaching turn 9, he lost the rear of the car, spun, and hit the barrier. The session resumed with 18 minutes still on the clock. The final minutes of FP3 were marked by a bizarre incident, with Mercedes releasing Antonelli from the garage on top of Tsunoda, resulting in a collision between the two. The race direction confirmed that the incident would be investigated post-session. In the end, George Russell was the fastest with a time of 01min23s334, just 0s004 ahead of Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen in third. The top 10 was completed by Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Alex Albon, while Gabriel Bortoleto finished 11th. Formula 1 returns to the Yas Marina track on Saturday for the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi GP. The session is scheduled for 11 am Brasília time, broadcasted by Band, Bandsports, and F1TV Pro. And remember! As soon as qualifying ends, F1 Q4 will be LIVE on Motorsport.tv Brasil’s YouTube channel with a complete analysis and race preview for Sunday. Don’t miss it! Check out the final results of FP3 for the Abu Dhabi F1 GP: 1. G. Russell (Mercedes) 2. L. Norris (McLaren) 3. M. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 4. F. Alonso (Aston Martin Racing) 5. O. Piastri (McLaren) 6. E. Ocon (Haas F1 Team) 7. O. Bearman (Haas F1 Team) 8. C. Leclerc (Ferrari) 9. A. Antonelli (Mercedes) 10. A. Albon (Williams) 11. G. Bortoleto (Sauber)