Overview
- Lando Norris topped FP3 by 0.001 seconds over Kimi Antonelli on Saturday, underlining a razor-close fight for pole between McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari ahead of qualifying.
- Antonelli needs just two points to seal the drivers' championship this weekend, with a ninth-place finish enough if George Russell wins and a tenth-place finish enough if Lewis Hamilton wins.
- Ferrari replaced Lewis Hamilton's power unit after a loss of power in FP2 with a unit already in his season allocation, a swap that avoids an immediate grid penalty.
- Audi will replace Gabriel Bortoleto's power unit after he completed only two laps in FP3, a precaution designed to restore reliability before qualifying.
- Haas confirmed a surprise weekend replacement of Esteban Ocon with Ryō Hirakawa and Mercedes leads the constructors' standings, meaning teams are balancing short-term reliability fixes with longer-term engine allocation and penalty timing.