- Charles Leclerc maintained Ferrari’s momentum by pacing the second practice session at the Circuit of The Americas, narrowly beating Kimi Antonelli by 0.042 seconds.
- Max Verstappen finished third on the timing sheets, closely followed by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in a competitive top five.
- Multiple drivers wrestled with balance issues, tyre degradation, and track-limit deletions, with Isack Hadjar and McLaren’s Lando Norris enduring particularly messy sessions.
Leclerc Paces Competitive Second Practice in Austin
Charles Leclerc concluded Friday’s running at the United States Grand Prix at the top of the leaderboard, capping off a clean sweep of the day’s practice sessions. After marginally eclipsing Max Verstappen during the opening hour of practice, the Ferrari driver returned to the Circuit of The Americas to post the benchmark lap during the afternoon qualifying simulations, successfully warding off a fierce charge from rookie Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Verstappen.
The green light activated at the pit lane exit at 16:00 local time, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly leading the charge out onto the Texas circuit. The session marked the return of Sergio Perez to his Cadillac cockpit following IndyCar standout Colton Herta’s appearance during Free Practice 1. Initial medium-tyre runs saw Verstappen lay down an imposing early marker of 1m 36.581s. Meanwhile, his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar struggled with equipment trouble early on, stating over team radio that he was unable to close the visor properly
—a distraction that disrupted his opening laps.
Track Limit Troubles and Mid-Session Flying Laps
Track-limit enforcements quickly became a dominant theme under the bright Austin sun. Lewis Hamilton ventured out on the hard-compound tyres to log an opening effort roughly seven-tenths adrift of Verstappen, only for the lap time to be swiftly deleted by race control for exceeding circuit boundaries. Hamilton was not alone in testing the margins; Hadjar and Antonelli also had efforts chalked off, with the young Italian simultaneously reporting comfort issues with his seat before ducking into the pit lane for adjustments.
Mercedes’ George Russell briefly shook up the order by jumping to P1 on the timesheets, establishing a three-tenth buffer over McLaren’s Lando Norris. Although Verstappen soon countered to reclaim the fastest spot, Norris pushed for another fast run, only for a snap of oversteer to force him to abandon the attempt and pit from third place. In the background, Russell found himself under the scrutiny of the stewards after receiving a black-and-white flag for forcing Leclerc off the track; following an investigation, race officials determined that no further action was required.
Qualifying Simulations Settle the Friday Hierarchy
As the session reached its halfway mark, teams fitted the red-walled soft tyres for low-fuel qualifying simulations. Leclerc seized the opportunity to fire his Ferrari to the top of the standings, surviving the traffic and track limits that simultaneously dismantled subsequent flying laps from Hadjar and Russell. Handling difficulties persisted across several teams; Hadjar voiced fierce frustration over his RB22’s degradation, labelling it disgusting
, while Norris suffered a heavy lock-up that ran him off circuit, and Russell experienced a high-speed scare on another lap.
The final 20 minutes saw the field transition away from one-lap speed to complete their designated high-fuel long runs. Leclerc’s time stood firm through the end of the hour, securing P1 ahead of Antonelli by a razor-thin margin of just 0.042 seconds. Verstappen slotted into third, flanked closely by Hamilton in fourth and Russell in fifth. Liam Lawson delivered a standout lap to capture sixth for Racing Bulls, finishing clear of an unsettled McLaren pairing consisting of Norris in seventh and Oscar Piastri in eighth. Hadjar and Haas rookie Ollie Bearman rounded out the top 10 positions.
Lower down the order, Gabriel Bortoleto claimed 11th for Audi, trailed by Gasly, Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Carlos Sainz (Williams), Perez (Cadillac), and Alex Albon (Williams).
Why This Matters
Friday at the Circuit of The Americas exposed both the fine performance margins among the frontrunners and the persistent handling challenges posed by the track’s demanding layout. Leclerc’s sweep of both sessions signals strong early-weekend baseline performance from Ferrari, but the tight delta back to Antonelli, Verstappen, and the Mercedes entries indicates that Saturday’s fight for pole will be heavily contested. Furthermore, widespread track-limit violations and aggressive tyre degradation will place a premium on clean execution when drivers reconvene for Free Practice 3 on Saturday at 12:30 local time ahead of the crucial Qualifying session at 16:00.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who set the fastest lap during FP2 at the United States Grand Prix?
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time during the second practice session for Ferrari, finishing ahead of Kimi Antonelli by 0.042 seconds, with Max Verstappen finishing in third.
Why was George Russell investigated during the session?
Russell was investigated by race stewards for forcing Charles Leclerc off the circuit, an incident for which he was initially shown the black-and-white flag. After reviewing the incident, the stewards decided that no further action was necessary.
What schedule is set for the remainder of the race weekend?
The action at the Circuit of The Americas resumes on Saturday with Free Practice 3 at 12:30 local time, followed by Qualifying to set the race grid at 16:00 local time.
