Leclerc Tops FP1 at United States Grand Prix – What It Means for the Weekend
Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc posted the quickest time in the first practice session at the Circuit of the Americas, edging out Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc demonstrated strong single‑lap pace on Friday morning, posting the fastest time in the first practice (FP1) session for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The Ferrari driver clocked a 1:34.123 on his final hot‑lap, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.12 seconds and McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.27 seconds, according to Formula1.com.
Leclerc’s performance came after a mixed weekend for Ferrari in recent races, and the result gives the team an early indication that their low‑down‑force package is clicking on the fast, flowing COTA layout. The Monegasque driver said after the session that the car felt "balanced" and that the team’s recent aerodynamic updates were paying off, though he cautioned that a single practice session is only a snapshot of overall weekend speed.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who currently leads the Drivers’ Championship, was second fastest, while Lando Norris of McLaren topped the timesheets in the second practice (FP2) later in the day, according to ESPN India. The spread between the top three was under three tenths of a second, suggesting a tightly contested qualifying ahead. Teams will now turn their focus to tyre management and long‑run simulations, as the 2024 tyre allocation rules continue to influence strategy at COTA.
For Indian fans: The United States Grand Prix qualifying is scheduled for 16:00 IST on Saturday, and the race will start at 22:00 IST on Sunday. Both sessions will be streamed live on FanCode, which holds the official broadcasting rights for F1 in India. Viewers can also follow live timing and sector analysis on the official F1 app, which offers an Indian‑specific push‑notification schedule.
The next session, FP2, will give teams a chance to fine‑tune their setups ahead of qualifying. With Leclerc already showing pace, Ferrari will be keen to convert that speed into a strong grid position, while Red Bull will look to re‑assert its dominance. McLaren’s Norris, meanwhile, will aim to build on his FP2 performance and challenge the front‑runners.
Source: Formula1.com