Charles Leclerc has emerged as the fastest in the first free practice of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. In a session where everyone is searching for grip, the driver proves faster than the surprisingly strong Alex Albon (Williams) and Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull). Max Verstappen starts the weekend in fourth place.
A dusty track, little grip, but dry. These were the conditions for the first free practice on the streets of Las Vegas. Various teams are trying different setups; for instance, McLaren has Norris and Oscar Piastri driving with different rear wings to test what works best in the opening session. Verstappen initially takes his time to join, but once on the track, he is immediately fast. After a quarter of an hour, he takes the lead.
After half an hour, with Verstappen again at the top, several people switch from hard or medium tires to the soft variant. It at least provides a bit more grip for the drivers. Temperatures are low: 14 degrees, with 18 degrees as asphalt temperature. This means it’s not easy to warm up the tires.
Leclerc leads
The Ferraris look fast on soft, Leclerc takes the lead. Verstappen reclaims the top position when he, with seventeen minutes remaining, drives his first fast lap on the red-colored rubber. Tsunoda also impresses on the soft tire, a good sign for Red Bull. While Norris misses his braking point several times, Piastri only shows some of his speed in the final minutes. The McLarens end up only in the sub-top.
In the end, Leclerc remains the fastest on the soft tires, Verstappen finishes at P4, ahead of Carlos Sainz and title rivals Norris and Piastri. Times and rankings don’t tell the whole story in a free practice, but the start is at least promising for Ferrari and Red Bull.
