Charles Leclerc made an encouraging start to the United States Grand Prix weekend, topping the opening practice session at the Circuit of the Americas ahead of Max Verstappen. The Ferrari driver set a 1:36.052, finishing just 0.084 seconds clear of the Dutchman.
Ferrari arrived in Austin with several upgrades to its SF-26, including changes to the floor, sidepod inlets and diffuser. The Italian team was able to put the new package to the test during FP1, with Leclerc immediately showing encouraging pace.
Verstappen continued his strong recent form, finishing second with a 1:36.136, while Lando Norris completed the top three for McLaren, 0.245 seconds behind Leclerc.
Leclerc's performance offered an encouraging first indication of Ferrari's latest developments, although it is still early in the weekend and the track has yet to fully rubber in. The margins remained tight, however, with Verstappen particularly close to the Monegasque.
Mercedes also enjoyed a competitive start, with George Russell fourth and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the second Ferrari, just over half a second behind his team-mate, while Oscar Piastri took seventh.
Photo: Race Pictures
Behind the leading group, Gabriel Bortoleto impressed for Audi, finishing eighth and less than a second off the fastest time. Racing Bulls also placed both cars inside the top ten, with Arvid Lindblad ninth and Liam Lawson tenth.
Fernando Alonso finished 12th for Aston Martin, ahead of team-mate Lance Stroll, while Pierre Gasly led Alpine's efforts in 15th. Williams endured another difficult session, with Carlos Sainz finishing 19th and Alexander Albon dropping to the bottom of the standings after his lap time was deleted.
Herta replaced Sergio Perez for the opening practice session, taking to the track in front of his home fans. The American finished 21st with a 1:39.979, ahead of only Albon, while team-mate Valtteri Bottas ended the session in 20th.
The FIA also conducted a special simulation at the end of FP1 as part of its efforts to improve the power unit software used in low-grip conditions.
Working alongside the teams and power unit manufacturers, the governing body instructed drivers to use specific inputs during their in-laps to test additional software protections. The procedure involved cars travelling at low speed for a short distance around Turn 15 after the session.
The test followed the software chaos at Sepang, where several drivers experienced unexpected power losses during the formation laps in wet conditions. The FIA subsequently introduced software changes to address the problem, with the Austin simulation forming part of its efforts to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Keep up with all the latest updates and reactions following the session in GPblog's live coverage.