Charles Leclerc kicked off Las Vegas FP1 in style, topping the opening session with a confident 1:34.802s and setting the early tone under the glittering night lights of the Strip. Ferrari looked sharp from the very first laps, while McLaren’s title fighting duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri found themselves wrestling with cold tyres, low grip and an unusually unsettled balance.
The session got underway in the kind of conditions Las Vegas is becoming known for. The air was cold, the track was dusty, and grip was so limited that every driver needed a few cautious laps before pushing. All twenty cars headed out almost immediately, turning FP1 into a rush hour on a 3.85 mile street circuit that was still waking up.
Traffic meant compromised laps across the board. Lewis Hamilton and Ollie Bearman were the first to slip wide, the rear stepping out on the cold surface. Pierre Gasly ran deep at Turn 7. Norris took to the run off at Turn 12 and later brushed the wall at Turn 9, giving McLaren a few early heartbeats ahead of FP2.
At the front, the battle for the top spot quickly formed between Leclerc and Max Verstappen. Leclerc was the first driver to dip into the 1m 35s, but Verstappen immediately replied with a lap just under two tenths quicker. The pair traded times as the track evolved, each finding more confidence with every run.
Once teams switched to the soft compound, the session lifted another gear. Hamilton was the first front runner to try the red walled tyre. His improvement was short lived, because Leclerc found instant performance on his first timed lap. Alonso and Piastri were the next to explore the limits, both running wide at Turn 12, which remained a trouble spot all hour.
The midfield also showed signs of heating up. Yuki Tsunoda briefly jumped to the top with a strong lap, proving once again that Red Bull’s younger driver is not intimidated by the Strip’s unique challenges. His time was short lived as Verstappen and Leclerc fought back, but the Japanese driver’s early performance continued to impress.
The final minutes of the session belonged to Leclerc. The Ferrari driver pieced together a clean and controlled lap to become the first to break into the 1m 34s, securing P1 with a 1m 34.802s. Albon delivered one of the standout performances of FP1 to take second, just 0.166s back, despite a huge lock up into Turn 12. Tsunoda secured third, only a fraction ahead of Verstappen.
Behind the top four, Carlos Sainz continued Williams’ strong form with P5. Norris and Piastri followed, split by Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who placed himself between the two championship contenders on raw pace. George Russell finished ninth, with Kimi Antonelli close behind in tenth, completing a solid top ten for Mercedes.
Hamilton ended FP1 in P11, seven tenths from Leclerc. Gasly led the Alpines ahead of Lawson and the Aston Martins of Alonso and Stroll. The bottom of the field featured Bearman, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Bortoleto and Colapinto, though the closing order was not entirely representative. Several teams focused more on data collection and tyre warm up than outright performance.
Drivers will be back on track later tonight for FP2. With higher track temperatures expected and the first proper long runs of the weekend, the next session will offer the clearest picture yet of how Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren stack up for qualifying.
