LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The third and final practice session of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix wrapped up early on Friday night.
Teams had completed about 54 minutes on the track and only had about six minutes left in the session when Williams Racing's Alex Albon made contact with the barrier and lost a rear tire.
Formula 1 officials said the third session would not be resumed.
When looking at the fastest laps in the session, George Russell from Mercedes was the quickest at 1:34.093. McLaren's Oscar Piastri was second with +0.398 while Williams' Logan Sargeant, the only American driver on the grid, was third at +0.552.
What a top 3 for our final practice session! 😅🤯#LasVegasGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/V14gruvMmF
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 18, 2023
FP1 was canceled about six minutes into the session due to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Esteban Ocon suffering severe damage to their vehicles after hitting water valve covers. Due to safety concerns, track officials spent five hours removing all of the water valve covers on the entire track and filled them with sand and asphalt. FP2 was delayed about two and a half hours but drivers were able to test out the circuit.
RELATED LINK: 'We know this is disappointing': F1, Vegas GP officials explain practice shutdown, removing fans
Between the sessions on Thursday and Friday, drivers had just under two and a half hours to learn the track and make adjustments. It's a challenge that Russell previously told Channel 13 they're ready to face.
"Footballers, tennis players, they're training six hours a day," Russell said. "We only have three hours to fine-tune things. I'm really intrigued ahead of this weekend because we're stepping into the unknown. With all the lights, it's going to be pretty wild. There are so many factors that it's like a learning curve for us and it gives us the opportunity to do a better job than our competitors."
Qualifying is up next, which is scheduled for midnight.
