Leclerc tops both practice sessions at COTA as McLaren's grip woes leave Norris and Piastri adrift

Charles Leclerc dominated Friday practice at the United States Grand Prix, topping both FP1 and FP2 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin to put Ferrari in an encouraging position ahead of qualifying. In the afternoon’s second session, the Monégasque driver clocked a 1m35.291s to edge Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by just 0.042s, with Max Verstappen a further two tenths back in third.

COTA’s characteristically bumpy layout — a relentless blend of high-speed Esses, low-speed corners and a grip-sapping final sector — caused widespread headaches throughout the field. Teams cycled through tyre compounds searching for the right set-up compromise on the 5.5km circuit, with the soft-tyre qualifying simulations exposing the track’s particular demands.

Leclerc’s decisive advantage came in the third sector, where he found two tenths over Verstappen after the Dutchman had briefly held the top spot on his own soft-tyre run. Championship leader Antonelli, continuing to impress in his debut season, split the Ferrari and Red Bull to claim second.

Lewis Hamilton was fourth but shed six tenths to Leclerc, with the four-time champion among several frontrunners who did not complete an optimal lap before switching to long-run work. George Russell recovered from a dramatic moment in the Esses — where he lost and then caught his Mercedes at high speed — to finish fifth. Liam Lawson was a promising sixth for Racing Bulls.

The session’s most significant subplot was McLaren’s handling struggles. Lando Norris battled a car he described as a bucking bronco through the faster sections, going off-road on his qualifying simulation, while Oscar Piastri also ran wide earlier in the session. Both drivers ended up seventh and eighth respectively, a full second behind Leclerc — a concerning gap for the constructors’ championship contenders.

Isack Hadjar was a frustrated ninth for Red Bull, unable to find consistent grip throughout the afternoon, while Haas rookie Oliver Bearman rounded out the top ten.