AUSTIN: Charles Leclerc topped the times for Ferrari ahead of Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen, while Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fifth in Friday’s opening practice session for this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
Antonelli could clinch the drivers’ title this weekend if he wins and his rivals fail to remain within reach of his points total.
Leclerc, who is expecting his first child, clocked a fastest lap of one minute 36.052 seconds to beat Verstappen, winner of the last two races, by 0.084 seconds. World champion Lando Norris was third for McLaren, two-tenths of a second adrift.
George Russell, who trails Antonelli by 102 points in the drivers’ championship, was fourth for Mercedes, ahead of the 20-year-old Italian, while seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finished sixth for Ferrari.
Oscar Piastri was seventh in the second McLaren, ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, who has a five-place grid penalty, and his team-mate Liam Lawson.
The session began with a large crowd basking in warm sunshine as several teams, including Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, introduced their final upgrade packages. However, the focus was on Antonelli and his title bid.
Having gone three races without a win since the Spanish Grand Prix, Antonelli needs to win on Sunday while Russell and Hamilton finish outside the top eight and top four respectively to become the youngest world champion and Italy’s first since Ferrari’s Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Haas, one of two American teams on the grid, were among the first to take to the track with a special livery for their home race. The team also followed news that Brazilian driver Rafael Camara was set to join in 2027, potentially replacing Esteban Ocon.
Cadillac, the second American team in its debut season, also introduced an upgrade package in a bid to move away from the back row of the grid. The team showed some early promise, with Valtteri Bottas climbing to 16th.
By then, Verstappen’s initial fastest lap on hard tyres had been beaten by Leclerc on medium compounds. The Monegasque driver, whose wife Alexandra Saint Mleux is expecting their first child, appeared to be in good form as he clocked 1:36.761, putting him 0.074 seconds ahead of team-mate Hamilton.
Leclerc switched to soft tyres after half an hour and lowered his time to 1:36.052, enough to hold off a rapid lap by Verstappen on softs by 0.084 seconds. Norris was third, ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton, who recovered from a slide at Turn One. Russell was sixth.
The track, which Verstappen and Norris had described as unacceptably bumpy, was visibly gaining grip as more rubber was laid down. Verstappen briefly went fastest before his lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Nevertheless, the lap showed that Verstappen was in contention and ahead of both Mercedes drivers, suggesting Antonelli may find it difficult to achieve his title-winning goal on Sunday.