Overview
- George Russell led FP3 with a 1:23.334 lap, edging Lando Norris by 0.004 seconds, with Max Verstappen third, Fernando Alonso fourth and Oscar Piastri fifth.
- Lewis Hamilton crashed in FP3 and caused a red flag, leaving his Ferrari with front-end damage after a heavy off at Turn 9.
- Norris set the pace on Friday by topping both FP1 and FP2, reinforcing McLaren’s form heading into qualifying.
- McLaren indicated it could use team orders if required, with Zak Brown saying the team will apply a common‑sense approach.
- Alpine continued to struggle as Franco Colapinto finished 19th in FP3, while late-session contact in the pit lane involved Kimi Antonelli and Yuki Tsunoda.