Leclerc fastest in first practice for the United States GP

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace in the opening practice session for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, topping the timesheets ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Leclerc clocked a lap of 1m 36.052s on soft tyres, showcasing promising early performance following upgrades brought by the Scuderia to Austin. Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished fourth and fifth respectively, while Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton secured sixth place after a session that saw several drivers struggle with track limits. Verstappen briefly went fastest before having his lap time deleted at Turn 19, ultimately leaving him in second place. Further down the order, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto delivered an eye-catching performance to finish eighth, while Williams focused heavily on data collection early in the session before posting times. Teams will now analyze their data ahead of Free Practice 2.