EL3 – The duel begins between Hamilton and Vettel

Contested under mild skies, the third and final free practice session for the United States Grand Prix in Austin (Texas) saw Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) put the nail in. Despite a lap record obtained by Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) about twenty minutes from the checkered flag, the Briton responded with a time of 1'34''478, barely nine hundredths faster than the German.

The two drivers left their teammates behind Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) by more than two tenths. THE Red Bull did not keep up with the tempo: Max Verstappen is seven tenths, Daniel Ricciardo concedes a second and a half.

The good surprise comes from Renault ; the yellow and black single-seaters have climbed the hierarchy, and are fourth in force in the field (Nico Hulkenberg 7th, Carlos Sainz Jr 8th), ahead of the Force India. Threatened by eviction at the end of the season, Felipe Massa (Williams) is well ahead of his young teammate Lance stroll.

The session was marked by the exit from the track of Romain Grosjean (Haas). Wearing a helmet tribute to former American champion MotoGP Nicky Hayden, the Frenchman lost control of his car in the series of turns at the end of the first sector. He finished with the 17th time, ahead of his colleague Kevin Magnussen. Esteban Ocon (Force India) set the 11th fastest time.

The qualifying session will begin at 23 p.m. French time. You will be able to follow our live text during this session.