F1 | FP1 | US GP | Norris leads the pack in Free Practice as drivers struggled around COTA - Motorsport

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After their first outing in America at the beginning of this season, the drivers returned for the F1 US GP, a Sprint weekend with only an FP1 session. With the pressure to find the perfect setup for such a notoriously bumpy track, all teams will need to take full advantage of this Free Practice. Moreover, the Sprint Race format requires teams and drivers to run both qualifying and race simulations during this singular 60-minute session.

Last race weekend, the F1 Singapore GP, marked McLaren’s victory in the Constructors’ Championship, yet the Drivers’ Championship is still in full swing. With Oscar Piastri in the lead, he will have to defend his position from his teammate, Lando Norris. The Briton is only 22 points behind the Australian with six rounds to go. However, Max Verstappen’s last race results have him as a possible threat to Norris.

The final touches before lights out

The F1 US GP FP1 session is set to begin at 12:30 pm local time. After the drivers and teams will receive a break in which they can look over their data before taking part in the Sprint Qualifying, at 4:30 pm local time. Their biggest challenge at COTA will be the track surface, especially through the braking zones and Turn 1.

The uneven and bumpy asphalt can cause the car to bottom out or even lose grip mid-corner. Additionally, Turn 1 brings one of the most dramatic and steep climbs. Drivers will have to brake with practically no visible apex when approaching. Not to mention the Texas heat, which is brutal on the tyres, making tyre management a priority.

Green lights for Free Practice

With a track temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, set to get higher in the late afternoon, the F1 US GP FP1 session got underway. The Circuit of the Americas welcomed the drivers onto the track, with Verstappen lining up first at the end of the pit lane.

Lando Norris bided his time before joining the others on track, trying to find the perfect space on the track with less traffic. The early laps had Liam Lawson set the first benchmark with a 1:38.730.

All the F1 cars on track chose the Hard tyres as their starting option this session. Already dropping the time, Lewis Hamilton’s first flying lap put him in pole with a 1:36.666. Nevertheless, his stay at the top was short, with Max Verstappen taking his place with a 1:36.192.

Warmer tyres after the first 10 minutes

Getting their tyres up to temperature and setting some rubber onto the track, the drivers opted for qualifying runs. The championship contender, Lando Norris, stormed the circuit, setting his sights on the P1.

Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar was the first driver to point out the traffic issues after his car ran wide. Verstappen also faced the same problems, bottoming out at the exit of the first corner. Yet, the Dutchman returned to the top of the F1 US GP FP1 timesheet with a 1:35.426.

As George Russell was fighting the low grip, he set a purple sector 2. Despite the Mercedes’ competitiveness, the Briton crossed the track limits at Turn 19. This specific turn will surely become a problematic section for drivers.

Both Racing Bulls presented similar issues, going off the track at multiple places around COTA. The bumpy nature of the track was already causing drivers to choose between caution and pushing to the limit.

40 minutes left on the clock

After 20 minutes at the F1 US GP FP1 session, Lewis Hamilton returned to the top of the grid, with the times dropping as the track became more manageable. Many drivers went wide, with Lance Stroll bringing some debris onto the circuit at Turn 19. This triggered a Red Flag, shortening their precious track time even more.

The session resumed, and drivers wasted no time returning to the circuit. Max Verstappen had a small lock-up going into Turn 11, another tricky corner at COTA. Some teams decided to fuel their cars more, satisfied with their flying lap simulations.

A potential issue with the gearbox had Carlos Sainz return to the garage fast after a concerning radio message from his engineer. His teammate, Alex Albon, had a lock-up, which damaged his run.

Clock time dropped under 30

As the F1 US GP FP1 session got to the midway point, Esteban Ocon had a brake problem with his Haas. This earned him a trip into the gravel. Meanwhile, Albon went on the radio complaining about the balance.

While most of the drivers switched to long runs, only Sainz, Bearman, and Ocon remained in the pits. At this point in the Free Practice, Hamilton was still fastest, unchallenged. However, even he faced trouble with his Ferrari. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, was further back, in P9.

The world championship leader went wide at Turn 19 in his lap. Piastri looked to have a harder time finding his footing as Norris remained on Hamilton’s tail in the timesheet. Nonetheless, the FP1 session settled down a bit when the majority of drivers returned to their garages before their last outings.

The last 10 minutes of practice

With the time running out for the F1 US GP FP1, the qualifying simulations restarted. Red Bull Racing sent Verstappen out on Softs, picking up a purple sector 1. His competitive lap had him claim the lead, yet his time there was cut short as Fernando Alonso put out an incredible flying lap, 1:33.639.

Oscar Piastri’s attempt only got him up to third, behind Verstappen but ahead of Hamilton. In the other McLaren, Norris went faster than his teammate in the second sector before overtaking Alonso for P1.

After signalling an issue with the gearbox, Charles Leclerc had to cut his Free Practice short due to an oil smell in his cockpit. This was the third driver who had to abandon the session due to mechanical problems.

While Antonelli tried his hand at joining the leaders of FP1, his lap was disappointing as it only brought him up to P16. Russell’s time was better, but not by much.

The finish line

Almost losing control of the track at high speed, Yuki Tsunoda managed to avoid any big crashes. The other Red Bull driver called for his return to the garage after reporting the bottoming issues as too severe.

Marking the end of the F1 US GP FP1 session, Lando Norris kept his place as the leader of the pack with a 1:33.294. Unexpectingly, Nico Hulkenberg’s impressive last flying lap earned him a spot in P2, with Oscar Piastri rounding up the top 3.