FP3: Norris pips McLaren team mate Piastri in final practice at the Saudi Arabian GP

Lando Norris ended the third and final practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend fastest of all, leading his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri by 0.024s while George Russell was best of the rest in third.

Free Practice 3 took place in hot 30 degree conditions as the sun began to set over the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with the final opportunity to make set-up tweaks getting under way at 1630 local time.

PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Can McLaren carry their strong Friday form into Qualifying – and who are their main threats in Jeddah?

While the majority of the field opted to remain in the garages during the early stages of the session, Gabriel Bortoleto hit the track immediately, attempting to make up time after a fuel leak in his Kick Sauber had forced him to miss the more representative FP2.

Jack Doohan was the first driver to complete a lap on the Pirelli soft tyres, with the Haas pairing of Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman also choosing to burn a set early, as Aston Martin sent out Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to bed in some medium rubber.

With 10 minutes gone, Lewis Hamilton headed out to discover if overnight improvements had transformed his prospects after struggling on Friday. Although his initial effort fell short of Bearman’s then-target time by 0.115s, it put him half-a-tenth clear of Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc – who had a near miss with the wall at the final corner in a moment of wild oversteer.

As the track grew ever more busy, the times tumbled with Piastri and Norris leading the way before Max Verstappen usurped the duo by 0.045s.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up on the FP2 action in Saudi Arabia as Norris leads a McLaren 1-2 while Tsunoda crashes out

Setting up an intriguing Qualifying session, drivers were finding time on their second timed efforts on the soft tyres following one or two cooldown laps. This process also highlighted how traffic could be an issue later on Saturday, with Isack Hadjar one driver caught out by a slower driver when on a timed effort.

Cautious of the threat of yellow or red flags, drivers were sent out onto the track for their second runs on fresh soft tyres with 17 minutes remaining. George Russell revealed Mercedes’ hand with a 1m 28.214s to move briefly to the top, before Piastri bettered this by 0.701s with a 1m 27.513s, an effort that Norris fell 0.158s short of.

But in the closing stages, Norris found time and reversed these positions, with his session-best 1m 27.489s clear of Piastri by 0.024s. Having found an extra tenth, Russell improved to third while Verstappen benefitted from a tow to go fourth, although 0.845s off the pace.

Hamilton’s struggles continued in the second runs as he ended the session four tenths and seven places behind fifth placed Leclerc. In 12th, Hamilton’s gloomy Friday feeling that he was simply trying to reach the top 10 and make Q3 looked like an ever-increasingly difficult task.

READ MORE: Aston Martin boss Cowell brushes off Verstappen future talk in Jeddah

Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz continued a strong weekend for Williams in sixth and seventh, while Pierre Gasly backed up his FP1-topping pace by again featuring in the top 10.

Yuki Tsunoda bounced back from his FP2 crash to go ninth fastest, 1.181s off Norris but inside 0.3s of team mate Verstappen.

With the final practice session of the weekend now complete, the drivers and teams will have a final chance to debrief before returning to action for Qualifying at 2000 local time.

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