Oscar Piastri set the pace in final practice for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, leading the way for McLaren with a best time of 1:15.921. The session highlighted how closely matched the top teams were, with Mercedes’ George Russell finishing just 0.039s behind and reigning world champion Max Verstappen also within a tenth for Red Bull. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, preparing for his first Ferrari qualifying session, could only manage eighth as he continued adjusting to his new team and car.
What To Know?
- Piastri Leads – Oscar Piastri tops FP3 for McLaren, narrowly ahead of George Russell and Max Verstappen.
- Ferrari Struggles – Charles Leclerc finishes fourth, while Lewis Hamilton places eighth after a mistake on his final run.
- Bearman Crashes Again – Haas rookie Oliver Bearman suffers his second crash of the weekend, limiting his track time before qualifying.
The session took place under sunny skies and warmer conditions than Friday’s running, giving drivers one last chance to fine-tune their setups ahead of qualifying. With car configurations locked in after FP3, teams had to decide whether to optimise for the dry conditions of Saturday or prepare for a potentially rain-affected race. Despite the focus on setup work, the session remained competitive, with Piastri aiming to claim his first home victory and Verstappen looking to strengthen his title defence.
It was another tough outing for Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, who was eager to recover from his heavy FP1 crash and missed FP2 session. However, his final practice was short-lived, as he suffered another incident just minutes into the session, bringing an early end to his running.
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Lando Norris showed strong pace for McLaren but could only manage 10th after aborting a promising lap in the final sector, which could have placed him in the top three. Ferrari, who looked like McLaren’s biggest challengers on Friday, struggled to maintain their momentum—Charles Leclerc, the fastest driver in FP2, finished fourth, 0.267s behind Piastri, while complaining of excessive oversteer. Lewis Hamilton also encountered difficulties, making a mistake in the first sector during his final qualifying simulation and ending up eighth, nearly half a second off the pace.
Mercedes’ rookie Kimi Antonelli delivered an impressive performance, securing fifth place as he continued his debut in Formula 1. Williams further solidified their position as the leading midfield team, with Carlos Sainz narrowly edging out teammate Alex Albon for sixth. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen showed improvement after Friday’s struggles, but Red Bull faced a setback as his new teammate, Liam Lawson, completed just two laps before a power unit issue forced him out of the session early.
Oliver Bearman endured another disastrous session, compounding his tough start to the season with a second crash in as many days. After missing FP2 due to damage from his FP1 incident, the British rookie spun his Haas into the gravel at Turn 11 after dipping a wheel onto the grass. While the car escaped significant damage and would be ready for qualifying, Bearman had logged just 40 minutes of track time across the three practice sessions, leaving him severely underprepared for the crucial session ahead.
With the grid now set to battle for pole position, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull all looked to be in contention, while Ferrari’s pace remained a key question heading into qualifying.
2025 Australian GP FP3 Results
2025 Australian Grand Prix FP3, 15 March 2025
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:15.921 | 16 | |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:15.960 | +0.039s | 17 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:16.002 | +0.081s | 18 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:16.188 | +0.267s | 22 |
| 5 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:16.206 | +0.285s | 20 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | 1:16.252 | +0.331s | 23 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:16.258 | +0.337s | 21 |
| 8 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:16.378 | +0.457s | 21 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:16.455 | +0.534s | 17 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:16.597 | +0.676s | 20 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:16.707 | +0.786s | 18 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:16.719 | +0.798s | 22 |
| 13 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT | 1:16.732 | +0.811s | 18 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:16.948 | +1.027s | 22 |
| 15 | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | 1:16.993 | +1.072s | 18 |
| 16 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:17.146 | +1.225s | 15 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:17.270 | +1.349s | 22 |
| 18 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | 1:17.373 | +1.452s | 18 |
| 19 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 2 | ||
| 20 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 2 |
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