Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc seized control of the opening practice session at the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, outpacing the competition on a hot afternoon at the Circuit of the Americas. Setting a benchmark lap of 1m36.052s on soft compound tyres, the Monegasque driver edged out his main rival.
Ferrari hit the ground running on the undulating 5.5km circuit as it trialled what is understood to be the final round of aero upgrades for the season. The latest package features targeted revisions to the floor, bargeboard, sidepod, and diffuser, injecting fresh momentum into their campaign to challenge for race victories.
Despite the team playing down expectations regarding the magnitude of the update, Leclerc and his teammate immediately found strong pace. Red Bull's Max Verstappen responded fiercely, utilizing an additional front-wing update to push hard through COTA's fast and flowing Esses before finishing just 0.084s adrift after seeing one of his fastest laps deleted for track limits.
McLaren's Lando Norris claimed third position despite battling minor steering and balance hurdles during his long runs. The early running painted an encouraging picture with four distinct constructor teams represented at the sharp end of the timesheets.
Drivers across the grid wrestled with tricky track conditions and balance issues inherent to the bumpy Texas venue. With plenty of data gathered from the first practice hour, teams now turn their attention to fine-tuning setups ahead of the subsequent competitive sessions.
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