Leclerc tops both Austin practice sessions as Ferrari set early United States GP pace

Charles Leclerc laid down a marker at the Circuit of the Americas on Friday, topping both free practice sessions for the 2026 United States Grand Prix as Ferrari looked the team to beat in Austin. The Monegasque, a previous winner at the Texas venue, set a 1:36.052 in FP1 and improved to 1:35.291 in FP2 to head a tightly packed field.

Ferrari: Leclerc leads, Hamilton hunting balance

Leclerc was satisfied but guarded after a strong day in the scarlet car. "The feeling in the car was quite good. Our upgrades worked as expected, but we must not get carried away by too high expectations ahead of tomorrow, as I believe our competitors have more potential to unlock," he said. "Kimi (Antonelli) and Max (Verstappen) already look very strong, and they'll definitely be up there in qualifying. We'll keep our heads down and see what tomorrow has in store."

One flashpoint came when Leclerc nearly tangled with George Russell as both squabbled over the same piece of tarmac, though stewards later opted to take no further action. Team-mate Lewis Hamilton was close to Leclerc on the mediums but ran wide on his first flying lap on the softs to finish P6 in FP1 and P4 in FP2. "It wasn't the easiest day. We tried a different direction with the set-up, but I wasn't comfortable in the car, especially over the bumps," Hamilton admitted. "Charles showed there's pace there, so we need to understand how we can get the car into a better place on my side."

Mercedes: Antonelli closes on Leclerc

Kimi Antonelli was less than half a tenth off Leclerc's FP2 pace to take P2, having needed an early trip back to the garage to adjust a seat that was moving in his cockpit. "We have had an interesting day here at the Circuit of the Americas. We didn't have the best FP1 session, with the car balance not in a great place. We were able to improve that for FP2 though and we took a good step forward," said the Italian. George Russell, who complained about his brakes in FP1 and had a big snap in sector one during FP2, was fifth fastest. Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin noted the gap at the front: "It looks very tight at the front. You wouldn't rule out any of the top four teams having the pace for pole position tomorrow."

Red Bull: Verstappen in the mix

Max Verstappen briefly topped FP1 before losing his fastest time to track limits, settling for P2, and was third in FP2 with a 1:35.480. "It's been a positive start to the weekend. This track is never easy when it comes to finding the right compromise between the low and high-speed corners," the Dutchman said. Team-mate Isack Hadjar struggled by comparison, losing a soft-shod lap to track limits and calling his running "disgusting" on the radio at one point. Technical Director Pierre Wache pointed to the bumps as the main difficulty: "The car is still not compliant enough over the bumps, which made today quite challenging as finding the right balance was more difficult than expected."

McLaren: Norris and Piastri on the back foot

Lando Norris was the quicker McLaren in FP1 (P3) but found the car harder to manage in FP2, finishing seventh after a moment on his flying lap. "We saw encouraging signs of pace today, but it's been tough to repeat that lap after lap," Norris said, pointing to "small, targeted tweaks overnight rather than anything drastic." Oscar Piastri, who fought understeer in FP1, looked steadier in FP2 but lacked ultimate pace, leaving the Australian hunting lap time for Saturday.

The picture ahead of qualifying

With the top four teams covered by barely a tenth of a second, the paddock expects a bruising fight for pole. Leclerc (FP1: 1:36.052, P1; FP2: 1:35.291, P1), Verstappen (FP1: 1:35.860, P2; FP2: 1:35.480, P3), Antonelli (FP1: 1:36.533, P5; FP2: 1:35.333, P2) and Russell (FP1: 1:36.378, P4; FP2: 1:35.793, P5) all have genuine claims on the front, while Hamilton (FP1: 1:36.555, P6; FP2: 1:35.906, P4) and Norris (FP1: 1:36.297, P3; FP2: 1:36.373, P7) wait in the wings. FP3 and qualifying on Saturday will reveal who has truly unlocked the potential.