Ferrari’s latest aerodynamic package made an encouraging start in Austin as Charles Leclerc edged Max Verstappen in opening practice for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, setting the stage for an intriguing fight between the Scuderia and a Red Bull outfit chasing a third consecutive Grand Prix victory.
On a hot afternoon at the Circuit of The Americas, Leclerc delivered a best lap of 1m36.052s to finish just 0.084s clear of Verstappen.
Lando Norris placed McLaren third, with Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli completing the top five in a session that suggested the leading teams could be closely matched.
Ferrari and Red Bull set the pace
Leclerc and Hamilton were quickly up to speed as Ferrari evaluated what is understood to be its final aerodynamic update package of the season.
The revisions span the floor, floorboards, sidepod and diffuser, although the team had played down expectations of a significant performance leap.
Leclerc initially set the pace on medium tyres before improving by around seven tenths when he switched to the soft compound after the halfway point.
Verstappen, meanwhile, recovered from early balance and steering-rack concerns to move into second. The Red Bull looked particularly strong through the fast, flowing Esses, but a lap that could have put him ahead of Leclerc was deleted for track limits at the penultimate corner.
Norris finished third, 0.245s off the pace, after a couple of oversteer moments. Russell was fourth, ahead of Antonelli, with both Mercedes drivers having begun on the harder compound and initially losing ground to the frontrunners.
Aston Martin shows signs of progress
Hamilton ended the session sixth, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto led the midfield in eighth, just ahead of Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, while Liam Lawson completed the top ten ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman.
Aston Martin showed some encouraging signs, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll taking 12th and 13th respectively, both ahead of Isack Hadjar. The second Red Bull driver lost the chance to improve on his final run after exceeding track limits.
Cadillac’s Colton Herta took over Sergio Perez’s car for the session on home soil. The former IndyCar driver has been given additional Friday outings as he seeks to secure the remaining FIA superlicence points, after his FP1 running was curtailed in Italy.
Alex Albon was the only driver not to set a representative lap, as Williams concentrated on aerodynamic testing to support its 2027 development programme.
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