Hamilton takes Friday clean sweep with P1 in FP2, Verstappen in P17
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Lewis Hamilton made it a Friday clean sweep at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, backing up his P1 in FP1 by topping the time sheets in the second free practice session, just +0.011 clear of Lando Norris in P2, with George Russell rounding out the top three, while Max Verstappen could only come P17 when the chequered flag fell.
It highlights that Mercedes look to be the team to beat in America after dominating the first free practice session, a clear contrast to the last Grand Prix weekend in Brazil.
The same could be said about Verstappen, who started that race from P17 to take victory. However, another P17 finish, this time in FP2, was full of struggles, as he could not get to grips with a cold and dusty Las Vegas Street Circuit.
Behind the top three was Carlos Sainz in P4, followed closely behind by his teammate Charles Leclerc. Pierre Gasly continued Alpine's fine from with a P6 under the Vegas lights, with Kein Magnussen, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top ten.
What happened during FP1 in Las Vegas?
Again, just like in FP1, there was a struggle with grip, with the dust and dirt on the Las Vegas Street Circuit causing drivers to lock up and go straight on down the escape roads, including Verstappen down at turn 14.
There were also some issues with the dropping temperature at the start of the session. With FP2 starting at 10 pm local time in the 'Sin City' there were a couple of drivers who were struggling with the dropping temperature. Both Russell and Perez came over the team radio to say that there was too much cold air coming into their helmets.
It was a very quiet second practice session, but then Alex Albon brought out the first red flag of the session with just over 20 minutes to go due to a fuel issue with his Williams.
The Thai-British driver could only complete three laps before he was forced into his garage as the mechanics tried to fix the issue. However, once he returned to the track, he did not make it far into his warm-up lap. His car stalled, and he was forced to pull over and retire from the session.