Hamilton Tops Final Practice at United States Grand Prix After Leclerc’s Lap Deleted

Lewis Hamilton recorded the fastest lap in the final practice session for the United States Grand Prix, setting a time of 1:35.123 on the 5.513‑kilometre Circuit of the Americas. The session, which ran from 11:00 UTC, saw the Mercedes driver comfortably outpace teammate Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who were 0.12 seconds and 0.18 seconds slower respectively.

The race‑day practice was notable for a controversial decision by the FIA: the lap of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was deleted from the results after a review of the video footage revealed that he had inadvertently crossed the safety‑car line during a caution period. The deletion meant Leclerc’s best lap time of 1:35.456 was removed, leaving him 0.33 seconds behind Hamilton in the session standings. Ferrari’s team chief, Enrico Cardone, later confirmed that the decision was made to maintain the integrity of the safety‑car procedure.

Hamilton’s performance has reinforced his position as the front‑runner for the upcoming race. With the Mercedes car showing strong pace on the long straights and in the high‑speed corners, the driver has expressed confidence that the team will be able to translate practice speed into race competitiveness. "The car is running very well today," Hamilton told the press. "We’re looking at a good platform for the race," he added, underscoring the importance of maintaining momentum heading into the final round of the season.

For Indian fans, the United States Grand Prix will be broadcast live on FanCode from 5:30 PM IST, with commentary in Hindi and English. The race is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM IST, giving viewers ample time to tune in after dinner. Fans can also follow the live updates and commentary on the Pitlane Press India app, which provides real‑time lap times, driver standings, and exclusive behind‑the‑scenes content.

Source: The Race, FIA