Verstappen pleased with upgrades in P3, as Norris finishes just behind

What happened during FP1 for the United States Grand Prix?

Formula 1's sprint format is being used this weekend in the United States, so there is only one practice session. Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari all had upgraded parts. This meant teams had to see how the updates correlated to their data from the simulations and find the perfect set-up for the sprint part of the weekend. Teams will be able to make changes again after the sprint race.

Mercedes had some problems in the first sector. Lewis Hamilton had a scary high-speed spin but avoided hitting anything. George Russell wanted the data checked because he felt unsteady in the same place. He then also had a spin in the same part of the track. Concerns for Mercedes increased throughout the session, as they were off the pace and had complaints over the team radio.

Red Bull pushed on the soft tyres at the halfway point, and Verstappen took the fastest time at that point with a 1:33.855. Sergio Perez, who followed closely behind, was nearly nine-tenths slower. Perez improved slightly on his second lap but was still seven-tenths down on his teammate. The rest of the grid completed high-fuel runs during most of the 60 minutes. Most drivers left the garages with brand-new soft tyres for a qualifying run in the final ten minutes.

Hamilton was the first across the line and finished half a second down on Verstappen's time. He was soon beaten by Alonso, and Liam Lawson wasn't too far behind. Hamilton's future team looked in better shape. Carlos Sainz took his place at the top of the standings. Oscar Piastri had a scary moment. He tried to pit but had too much speed and did well to avoid an accident. He returned to the track and finished fifth fastest.