AUSTIN, Texas — Lewis Hamilton topped the timing sheets in the third and final hour of practice ahead of Max Verstappen and teammate Charles Leclerc, setting up what could be a dramatic qualifying hour here at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

The session got underway right at 12:30 p.m. local time, under partly cloudy skies with the air temperature right at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. And a few teams did not waste any time, with Sergio Pérez, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Franco Colapinto taking to the track right as the green light appeared at the end of pit lane.

A few other teams, however, took a more relaxed approach at the start, as drivers such as Lando Norris, Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Leclerc, and Oliver Bearman remained in the garage, waiting to take to the track. And when Bortoleto dipped back down pit lane, Pérez and Colapinto had the track to themselves.

Gasly soon joined the fray, as did Valtteri Bottas, and as the clock struck 53 minutes remaining the Cadillac and Alpine duos had the track all to themselves.

Things started to pick up at the 50-minute mark, as more cars took to the track. Soon some more representative times would be coming in, as at the 47-minute mark Gasly topped the timing sheets with a 1:37.592, a time set on the C3 medium tire.

Hamilton then took that spot with a 1:36.716, posted on a set of softs, as the times started to come in, and tumble.

The first big surprises came with around 43 minutes left in FP3, as Liam Lawson jumped to the top of the timing sheets with a 1:36.420, set on a set of C3 medium tires. His spot at the top would not last long as Piastri nipped him with a 1:36.243 on the softs, and then Max Verstappen pumped in a 1:35.702 on the mediums.

Hamilton then responded, delivering a lap of 1:35.561 to rocket to the top of the board.

At the midpoint of FP2 the top five on the board were Hamilton, Verstappen, Norris, George Russell, and Isack Hadjar. While the teams and names might not be a surprise, the tire choices might have been. While Hamilton, Norris, and Russell set those times on the C4 soft tires, Hadjar and Verstappen had set those on the C3 mediums.

That spoke to the pace with the RB22 for both Saturday … and Sunday.

Two more names entered the mix as the second half of FP3 opened. Leclerc went to the top on a set of medium tires – perhaps speaking to both Ferrari’s pace and the small upgrades the team brought to Austin – and then Drivers’ Championship leader Kimi Antonelli slid into third, on a set of the soft tires.

Things did get a little sporty at one moment, with Russell, Esteban Ocon, and Nico Hülkenberg treating the proceedings like Sunday rather than Saturday:

At the 20-minute mark, many of the top drivers were in the garage, including the Ferrari pair as well as Verstappen and the McLaren duo. But Antonelli was in full attack mode, using a fresh set of C4 soft tires that had been bolted onto his W17. Behind him? His Mercedes teammate Russell, also with a fresh set of soft tires.

Antonelli went purple through the first sector and purple through the second as he tracked 0.414 second ahead of the benchmark time set by Leclerc. He came home with a lap time of 1:35.015, a new benchmark and a clear warning to the rest of the grid.

But it was for naught, as his time was deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9.

Then it was Verstappen’s turn, as Red Bull bolted a set of soft tires onto his RB22. He went fastest through the first sector, and was still up on Leclerc through the second sector. Verstappen came home with a time of 1:35.061, setting a new standard for the session.

That standard lasted only a few seconds, as Hamilton cut the beam with a 1:34.893.

Finally we got a representative lap on the softs from Leclerc, and it put Ferrari’s other driver to the top, as he delivered a 1:34.810, just ahead of Hamilton in P2.

However, that lap was soon deleted as well, with Leclerc having exceeded track limits at Turn 10.

Track limits might be something to watch during qualifying later today, after an astonishing 207 lap times were deleted over the two practice sessions on Friday, and race officials relaxed track limits at several spots on the track, including Turns 12, 15 and 20.

With under ten minutes remaining, perhaps the biggest surprise was the driver sitting in P7 as it was none other than Hülkenberg sitting well inside the top ten. Could he and Audi be setting up a Q3 shock for later in the day?

Hülkenberg might, but his teammate could be in a bit of hot water, as race officials noted Gabriel Bortoleto for potentially impeding Hamilton during a push lap in the final minutes of the session.

And in those final minutes of the session, there was a bit of drama from the Red Bull pair. First it was from Verstappen as he locked up his RB22 entering Turn 15, and sent smoke flying on the track as he flat-spotted the tires. Then it was Hadjar locking up at Turn 1, as he came upon Alexander Albon on the racing line. The two drivers had a bit of a … moment on the track before driving off their separate ways.

When the checkered flag flew, it was still Hamilton at the top of the board, followed by Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, and Russell rounding out the top five. Piastri slotted in sixth, followed by Hülkenberg, Norris, Gasly, and Hadjar to close out the top ten spots.

Liam Lawson clocked in at P11, followed by teammate Arvid Lindblad in P12. Bortoleto, Bearman, Colapinto, Alonso, Ocon, Stroll, Albon, Sainz, Pérez, and Bottas rounded out the rest of the grid.

What does this all mean for qualifying later today?

It might mean we’ll have a shootout on our hands here in Austin.