Las Vegas Grand Prix: Leclerc Leads Opening Practice, McLaren Stumbles
Las Vegas, NV — In a challenging opening practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc emerged as the fastest driver, setting a benchmark time of 1:34.802 with Ferrari. The session, characterized by a dusty track and low temperatures, saw drivers focusing on cleaning the surface and optimizing tire performance.
As the session commenced under ambient temperatures of 57°F and a track temperature of just 64°F, drivers initially struggled to find grip. The onset of the practice session featured significant dust clouds, which impeded early lap times but gradually improved as the session progressed.
Ferrari was the first leading team to switch to soft tires, with Leclerc quickly improving upon each attempt. “The car felt good once we switched to the softs, and I was able to find a rhythm as the track evolved,” he commented.
Surprisingly challenging Leclerc’s pace was Alex Albon of Williams, who posted a time just 0.166 seconds behind after a strong late run. Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top three, clocking in 0.269 seconds off the pace, making him the quickest Red Bull driver. His teammate, Max Verstappen, was fourth, 0.038 seconds behind Tsunoda, having only completed one competitive lap on soft tires.
Carlos Sainz finished fifth, 0.377 seconds off Leclerc’s time, followed closely by Lando Norris of McLaren in sixth, trailing by 0.456 seconds despite minor collisions with the barriers. Oscar Piastri was eighth, testing a new lower-downforce rear wing configuration.
Isack Hadjar made a late improvement to claim seventh, while last year’s winner, George Russell, rounded out the top ten in ninth. Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli was just behind, indicating ongoing struggles for the team.
Lewis Hamilton placed 11th, followed by Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson, with the remainder of the field filling out behind. Notably, Gabriel Bortoleto will face scrutiny from stewards for a potential yellow flag breach.
As teams prepare for qualifying, the mixed bag of results raises questions for McLaren’s title contenders and sets the stage for a pivotal weekend in Las Vegas.
