Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB19. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 19, United States Grand Prix, Friday 20th October 2023. Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, USA.
World Champion Max Verstappen set the pace during the sole practice session for Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
Verstappen clocked a time of 1:35.912s when drivers carried out qualifying simulations on Soft tyres during the closing stages of the one-hour session.
The US Grand Prix is one of the six Sprint weekends designated by Formula 1 in 2023, meaning qualifying will take place later on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s Sprint sessions.
Verstappen’s time left him 0.156s clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton – who had been fastest during the Hard tyre runs – in third spot.
Sergio Perez showed an upturn in performance by classifying fourth, three-tenths behind his team-mate.
Haas debuted its heavily upgraded VF-23 – resplendent in its one-off Stars and Stripes livery – and it had an encouraging session.
Kevin Magnussen was fifth, within six-tenths of Verstappen, while Nico Hulkenberg classified in ninth spot.
George Russell was sixth for Mercedes, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in eighth place.
Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Alpine, ahead of home representative Logan Sargeant.
Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing FW45 leaves the pits. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 19, United States Grand Prix, Friday 20th October 2023. Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, USA.
AlphaTauri’s Daniel Ricciardo eased his way back into Formula 1 after his five-race injury layoff and took 14th position, one spot behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.
McLaren, which has been Red Bull’s closest challenger at recent grands prix, remained down the leaderboard after opting not to run Soft tyres in the closing stages.
That left Lando Norris down in 15th spot with Oscar Piastri in 19th position.
Piastri also had the session’s wildest moment as he ran wide at Turn 9 and bounced waywardly across the grass before recovering to the circuit.
McLaren’s main title rival Aston Martin also had a lacklustre session at the rear of the pack.
Fernando Alonso was only 18th while Lance Stroll was the slowest of the 20 drivers after a brake issue early on limited him to just five timed laps.
Qualifying for Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix is scheduled for 16:00 local time
Keyword: Verstappen fastest in sole US GP practice