Leclerc topped the times on a dusty Las Vegas track during FP1 . As the sun set on the strip, Lawson complained about low grip on the radio early on in the session, with many drivers finding conditions difficult.
McLaren test rear wing and unusual addition.
McLaren changed the rear wing on Oscar Piastri’s car by cutting a piece out of it to help with downforce. Lando Norris was using the other rear wing as the cars set off with flow vis paint.
Another noticeable difference on the McLaren was the addition of an unusual looking Pitot tube. The tube was placed on the front wing but a lot more raised than usual. It was used to measure airflow but was only used for FP1.
Tricky conditions from early in the session.
The low grip was proving difficult for all drivers early on, with Hamilton drifting through turn 1 but managing to hold it. Pierre Gasly brought out the first yellow flag with an excursion to the run off area. Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto both followed suit with trips to the run off area.
Photo credits: Formula 1
Early problems for Lando Norris
Lando Norris had a tricky session overall. He hit the wall and his floor had to be checked but there was no damage. The British driver found himself in the run off area of turn 12 twice in a row. Overall the McLarens both appear to still be struggling on the low grip track.
Photo Credits: Formula 1
Track heats up
As the dust began to clear the lap times began to tumble. Pierre Gasly had a solid lap with a 1.37.990 12 minutes into the session. With 23 minutes to go the lap times continued to drop with LeClerc setting a 1.35.121. Track evolution proved to be a key factor under the lights of the Las Vegas strip.
The dusty Las Vegas track provided challenges throughout the session
Almost all of the drivers struggled to keep their cars on track during the session. Turn 12 proved particularly tricky with Ollie Bearman, Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon all heading for the run off area towards the end of the session.
Liam Lawson drove into the run off area at turn 14, while Alex Albon ran straight through turn 6 into turns 7 and 8 showing the struggles on the cold track.
Leclerc tops the times.
A messy session overall with many drivers struggling ended with Leclerc topping the time sheets followed by Alex Albon. Yuki Tsunoda finished in 3rd having a particularly solid session under the lights of Las Vegas.
FP1 Top 5
Charles Leclerc – 1.34.802
Alex Albon – +0.166
Yuki Tsunoda – +0.269
Max Verstappen – +0.307
Carlos Sainz – +0.377