AUSTIN, Texas — Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc looked like the driver to beat Friday at Circuit of The Americas, topping both practice sessions as Formula One opened the United States Grand Prix weekend with a closely contested battle among the sport’s leading teams.
Leclerc led the morning session with a lap of 1 minute, 36.052 seconds before improving to a session-best 1:35.291 in the afternoon. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli followed closely in second during Free Practice 2, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen was third as the top three drivers were separated by less than two-tenths of a second.
The Ferrari driver’s pace came on the soft-compound tire, but longer race simulation runs suggested Sunday’s race could be just as competitive as Saturday’s qualifying battle.
McLaren, which enters the weekend as one of Ferrari’s biggest challengers, showed flashes of speed but left Austin believing more performance remains to be unlocked. Lando Norris finished third in FP1 before ending the day seventh overall in FP2, while teammate Oscar Piastri was seventh and eighth in the two sessions.
“We saw encouraging signs of pace today, but it’s been tough to repeat that lap after lap,” Norris said. “Compared to the teams ahead we’re a step behind.”
McLaren Chief Technical Officer Rob Marshall said the pecking order remains tighter than the final practice standings indicated.
“The balance of power amongst the top four teams is quite close,” Marshall said. “Ferrari seem to be very strong, as is Max Verstappen, who is really strong here, and Mercedes are also competitive.”
Track conditions evolved dramatically throughout the day as drivers dealt with COTA’s notoriously bumpy surface and gusting winds. Track temperatures climbed to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit), while several drivers struggled with track limits, particularly through Turns 9, 12, 19 and 20.
Ferrari and Red Bull both focused on race-preparation work during long runs. Leclerc and Verstappen completed simulations on used soft tires, while Antonelli’s Mercedes gathered data on medium-compound rubber.
Behind the front-runners, Alpine concentrated heavily on race setup. Pierre Gasly improved from 15th to 12th between sessions and said the team spent much of Friday attempting to improve ride quality over the circuit’s bumps.
“Our pace on high fuel in Free Practice 2 was better, which is obviously very important with an eye on Sunday,” Gasly said. “We still need to qualify as high up as possible.”
Teammate Franco Colapinto, who faces a grid penalty after taking a new control electronics unit, devoted much of his day to long-run work rather than outright qualifying pace.
Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi said tire behavior matched expectations, with teams focusing predominantly on the medium and soft compounds. Based on Friday’s data, he believes a one-stop strategy currently appears the most likely option for Sunday’s race.
As teams pour through overnight data, Ferrari appears to hold the early advantage, but with Verstappen, Mercedes and McLaren all showing competitive pace, qualifying could produce one of the closest grids of the season.