Sports · Motorsport · 52 mins ago
Leclerc leads both Friday practice sessions at the United States Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc topped both Friday practice sessions ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Driving for Ferrari, he set an FP2 time of 1 minute 35.291 seconds at the Circuit of the Americas.
Kimi Antonelli finished just 0.042 seconds behind Leclerc, with Max Verstappen third.
The close times showed that several teams were competitive, but Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was more than six-tenths of a second behind his teammate in FP2.
McLaren’s drivers struggled with grip, finishing seventh and eighth as Lando Norris said the car was difficult to drive consistently.
The circuit’s bumps and tight track limits made it harder for teams to find a reliable setup and complete clean laps.
Qualifying is next on Saturday, when Leclerc will try to turn his strong practice pace into a good starting position for Sunday’s race.
Charles Leclerc topped second practice for the United States Grand Prix at Austin, completing a Friday practice double.
The Ferrari driver’s best lap was 1m35.291s, 0.042 seconds faster than Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
Max Verstappen was third, 0.189 seconds behind Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton was fourth.
Liam Lawson took sixth for Racing Bulls, ahead of McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Teams also assessed longer runs and tyre behaviour as they prepared for Sunday’s race.
- Who
- Charles Leclerc topped the session for Ferrari, ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen.
- What
- Leclerc set the fastest time in second practice for the United States Grand Prix.
- When
- Friday, October 23, 2026.
- Where
- Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
- Why
- The session gave teams time to practise and assess tyre behaviour ahead of qualifying and the race.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Verstappen set an early benchmark on medium tyres, before Russell moved ahead.
Teams switched to soft tyres for qualifying simulations.
Leclerc set the fastest time of 1m35.291s, with Antonelli 0.042 seconds behind.
Teams turned to longer runs to assess tyre behaviour ahead of Sunday’s race.
- Fastest lap
- Charles Leclerc, 1m35.291s
- Second place
- Kimi Antonelli, 0.042 seconds behind
- Third place
- Max Verstappen, 0.189 seconds behind
- Circuit
- Circuit of the Americas, Austin
- Sixth place
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
22 sources
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Max Verstappen rijdt naar derde tijd tijdens tweede vrije training, Charles Leclerc opnieuw snel in Austin
Leclerc sets Austin practice pace from Verstappen
Leclerc tops second practice at United States GP
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moving like crazy
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