Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace in both practice sessions at the United States Grand Prix on Friday in Austin, establishing himself as the driver to beat heading into the weekend. According to BBC Sport, Leclerc finished 0.042 seconds clear of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who remains in contention for his maiden world championship at this 18th round of the 23-race season.
Antonelli's mathematical path to the title remains narrow but alive. The Mercedes driver can clinch the championship in Austin only if he wins the race, George Russell finishes outside the top eight, and Lewis Hamilton finishes below fourth position. In opening practice, Leclerc's fastest lap was 1:36.052, which put him 0.084 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, with Antonelli fifth in that session.
How did the rest of the field perform?
Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished third overall on Friday, 0.189 seconds adrift of Leclerc's best time. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, occupied fourth position but trailed the pace-setter by 0.615 seconds, indicating Ferrari's upgrade package has delivered meaningful gains. Mercedes driver George Russell claimed fifth place, with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson rounding out the top six.
McLaren's Lando Norris, the current world champion, was seventh fastest, though his session was hampered when he made a mistake at Turn 16 and did not set a time on his qualifying simulation run using soft tyres. In opening practice, Norris finished third, 0.245 seconds off the pace. McLaren's Oscar Piastri was eighth quickest on the day. Audi's Gabriel Bortolesto finished eighth in opening practice, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad was ninth. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and Haas driver Oliver Bearman completed the top ten.
What upgrades are teams running?
Mercedes have reverted both their cars to the upgraded specification introduced two races ago in Malaysia, though the team has faced questions about the upgrade's relative performance. The Mercedes engineering team believes additional performance remains locked within the package but has not yet discovered the optimal set-up configuration to unlock it. They are hopeful that a full weekend with three practice sessions will provide sufficient time to refine the car's balance and extract the upgrade's potential.
Ferrari introduced a fundamentally new floor design for this weekend. Both Leclerc and Hamilton downplayed the significance of the upgrade's impact on performance. Hamilton commented on the modest nature of the improvement, saying:
We have a very, very small upgrade this weekend. It's less than a tenth. It's like half a tenth. So, I don't think that propels us forward enough to necessarily challenge that deficit. But maybe the track suits our car, and maybe they'll have a one-off weekend. Maybe Mercedes will have an off weekend again, and we'll be right there to take it.
McLaren has introduced the first of three consecutive planned upgrades this weekend as the team continues its development push through the remainder of the season.
What other developments occurred in practice?
Cadillac reserve Colton Herta drove Sergio Perez's car in opening practice as he pursues the additional FIA Super Licence points needed to qualify for an F1 race seat. Williams' Alexander Albon did not record a timed lap during the opening session.
What happens next?
Final practice is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at 12:30 p.m. local time, followed by qualifying at 4 p.m. The United States Grand Prix itself takes place on Sunday, October 25, at 3 p.m. local time. The weekend follows the traditional format of three practice sessions, qualifying, and the Grand Prix, with no sprint race scheduled for this event.
