Russell tops FP3 to prove battle for pole is on with Verstappen in Mexico

George Russell has led a Mercedes one-two in the third and final free practice session, suggesting they are in the fight for pole position for the Mexico Grand Prix. Max Verstappen, who finished almost five-tenths down, has more pace in hand for qualifying. Ferrari never troubled the top of the timesheets. 

Weekend preparation

The third free practice session provided the first opportunity for the whole field to prepare for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The first free practice session featured rookie drivers for a few teams and the second free practice became a Pirelli tyre test for 2023. Those facts didn't correlate to a stampede out of the garage when the green flag dropped. Instead, teams opted to save some engine mileage as we head towards the conclusion of the season. 

Max Verstappen was one of the drivers sitting in the garage for the first 20 minutes, but the World Champion emerged from the pits and immediately set the session's fastest time. Knocking George Russell away from P1 who did exactly the same trick five minutes earlier. 

On a new set of soft tyres, Mercedes improved on Verstappen's time by seven-tenths suggesting that the German team are in the fight for pole position in Mexico. If nothing else, it proved that Russell and Hamilton can turn the tyres on quickly. The Dutchman couldn't beat Mercedes on his opening run, though he matched the time at the end of sector one when he pulled out of the lap. 

And the rest...

Ferrari will be worried with their performance in the third free practice session. Neither Carlos Sainz nor Charles Leclerc troubled the top of the timesheets, though a quicker lap in the final five minutes improved the situation for the Italians. Lando Norris had a good session, spending most of the time in the top four places. His friend Alex Albon also impressed in the Williams car by mixing in with the top ten. The rest of the field sat in roughly their usual places, though Valtteri Bottas' P5 became the last surprise. As always in practice, fuel loads and engine modes are unknown.