F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton edges out Max Verstappen in FP3

His time was subsequently eclipsed by Liam Lawson in the Racing Bulls and McLaren's Oscar Piastri, while several top competitors continued to run on medium tires.

Verstappen briefly claimed the top spot with a 1m35.702s on the yellow sidewall tire, despite ongoing concerns regarding his troublesome downshifts.

Hamilton quickly responded, improving to a 1m35.561s using softs. However, when Leclerc seized the lead with a 1m35.127s on the slower mediums, it highlighted that there was still significant speed to be found.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

As the final 20 minutes approached, Antonelli managed to shave a tenth off Leclerc's time on softs, but his lap was invalidated for exceeding track limits at Turn 9.

Verstappen managed to stay within the boundaries, posting a 1m35.061s to take the lead, with Red Bull showing impressive speed through sector one, only for Hamilton to break the 1m35s barrier with a time of 1m34.893s.

Track limits, a persistent issue throughout practice, also thwarted Leclerc's attempt to reclaim the top spot, as he went over the white line at Turn 10.

This left the Monegasque in third place behind Hamilton and Verstappen, setting the stage for an exciting qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

Championship leader Antonelli secured fourth position, just ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, as the Silver Arrows seemed to lag slightly behind in raw speed, with Piastri in sixth place in the tricky MCL40.

Nico Hulkenberg in the Audi managed to keep McLaren’s Lando Norris from seventh, while the world champion's 1m35.2s was also disqualified due to track limits at Turn 10.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly finished ninth, a full second off Hamilton's pace, with Isack Hadjar rounding out the top ten in the second Red Bull, as Gasly expressed frustration over his car's handling.