On the weekend where Kimi Antonelli can claim his maiden World Championship, Charles Leclerc topped FP1 at the 2026 United States GP, with a 1:36.052 for Ferrari.
Green light
As the green light shone at the end of the pit lane, Franco Colapinto lead out a host of cars
This included Colton Herta, who was completing the session in Sergio Perez’s Cadillac.
Leclerc was the first to set a representative time at the top with a 1:37.430 for Ferrari, on the Medium tyres. He placed himself sixth tenths clear of Max Verstappen in second.
However, the Dutch driver was not completely happy, complaining of steering issues over the team radio to Tom Hart. Hart is deputising for Gianpiero Lambiase this weekend, before he departs for McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton replaced his teammate at the top with a 1:37.235, with Leclerc reclaiming the position just minutes later with a 1:36.761.
How were Mercedes faring?
With 40 minutes remaining, both Mercedes drivers were down the order, with Antonelli in sixth and George Russell in eighteenth.
The young Italian could claim the Championship title this weekend. He needs to score 23 more points than Russell, 14 more than Hamilton, and six more than Verstappen to seal his maiden World Championship.
After another run, Antonelli positioned himself in fourth with a 1:37.185, making him the quickest of the Hard-tyre runners.
Soft-tyre runs
Herta took a gamble, experimenting on the Soft tyres.
Colapinto was the only other driver who had run the compound, but was back in the pits, with work taking place on the back of his car.
Both Ferrari drivers also followed each other out on the Softs, still occupying the top spots.
Also on the compound, Russell jumped to third, with Isack Hadjar slotting into third with a 1:37.790 for Red Bull.
The times began tumbling now that the red-walled Pirellis were out. Verstappen was just under a tenth slower than Leclerc in second, with Lando Norris also a tenth off in third.
Russell ran wide at Turn 1 on his first Soft-tyre run, with his second attempt only good enough for fourth.
10 minutes remaining
With ten minutes remaining, the top four teams occupied the top seven places. The only exception was Isack Hadjar, who lost his best time and was down in P12.
Carlos Sainz and Alex Alton slotted into P19 and P20 for Williams, after final emerging from the garage.
“During FP1, both our drivers will be carrying out an aero testing programme to assist with development of both this year’s car and the FW50 for next season,” the team has said.
With five minutes remaining, race simulations were well underway, with the drivers preparing for Sunday’s race.
Charles Leclerc topped FP1 at the 2026 United States GP, with a 1:36.052 for Ferrari. Max Verstappen claimed second with a 1:36.136 for Red Bull, whilst Lando Norris took third with a 1:36.297.
Featured Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool