Overview

• Race director Rui Marques invoked Article 26.19 after an official forecast showed the Heat Index exceeding 31°C, marking the first use of F1’s heat‑hazard procedure.
• All cars must be fitted with fluid‑pumped cooling system hardware; drivers may forgo the vest but must carry approximately 0.5kg of cockpit ballast to avoid a weight advantage.
• Max Verstappen led final practice with a 1:30.148, just 0.017s ahead of Oscar Piastri, with George Russell third as the top five were covered by 0.089s.
• Liam Lawson crashed again at Turn 7 to cause a red flag, forcing a rapid Racing Bulls rebuild ahead of tonight’s qualifying.
• Lewis Hamilton has been summoned to the stewards for a potential red‑flag infringement in FP3 and could face a grid penalty depending on the ruling.