Lewis Hamilton was involved in a dangerous moment with Gabriel Bortoleto during FP3 at the United States Grand Prix, with the Brazilian coming under investigation for potentially impeding the Ferrari driver. Hamilton was forced to take evasive action after encountering the Audi driver towards the end of the long straight.

Hamilton involved in dangerous incident during strong Ferrari session

The incident occurred as Hamilton approached the braking zone for Turn 12 at the end of the long back straight. The seven-time world champion was travelling at high speed when he encountered Bortoleto directly ahead of him.

The Brazilian failed to move out of the way as Hamilton rapidly closed the gap, leaving the Ferrari driver with little time to react. Hamilton was forced to make a sudden evasive manoeuvre to avoid a potential collision with the Audi.

The incident was noted by the stewards, with Bortoleto subsequently placed under investigation for potentially impeding Hamilton during the final practice session.

Photo: Race Pictures

The close encounter came during another impressive session for Ferrari in Austin, with the Italian team continuing to demonstrate its pace ahead of qualifying for the United States Grand Prix.

Hamilton ultimately finished fastest in FP3, setting a 1:34.893 to beat Max Verstappen by 0.168 seconds. Charles Leclerc completed the top three, just 0.234 seconds behind his teammate.

Ferrari finished at the top of the timesheets in all three practice sessions at the Circuit of the Americas, with Leclerc leading both FP1 and FP2 before Hamilton took over in Saturday's final session.