Charles Leclerc once again set the pace in second practice at the United States Grand Prix to head the Formula 1 timesheets on Friday.
Leclerc was 0.042 seconds quicker than Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli to complete a practice double in his upgraded Ferrari on the first day of running at Austin.
Runaway championship leader Antonelli proved to be Leclerc’s closest challenger in FP2 at the start of a weekend he can clinch his first F1 world title.
The 20-year-old Italian must win Sunday’s race and hope Mercedes team-mate George Russell finishes ninth or lower, with Lewis Hamilton below fourth.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was third fastest as he wound up 0.189s behind Leclerc’s benchmark in the second hour of practice on Friday.
Hamilton was fourth quickest but once again struggled to match the pace of his team-mate, finishing over six tenths adrift of Leclerc.
It has been an encouraging start to the weekend for Ferrari, with the Italian team bringing a significant aerodynamic upgrade that includes a new floor and reshaped bodywork.
Russell took a distant fifth following a near-miss Leclerc during the early stages of second practice. The Briton was one of several drivers who did not complete a representative flying lap on the soft tyres.
Liam Lawson put his Racing Bulls an eye-catching sixth, ahead of the McLarens of reigning world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman rounded out the top-10 for Red Bull and Haas respectively.
Cadillac and Williams were once again the slowest teams in FP2, with Valtteri Bottas this time outpacing Carlos Sainz for 19th.
Sergio Perez, returning to action after sitting out of FP1 while Colton Herta deputised for Cadillac, was 21st ahead of Alex Albon in the Williams, which looked a real handful to drive.
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