Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has led opening practice for Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, besting Alex Albon and the two Red Bulls.
Leclerc’s soft-tyre run pf 1m34.802s in the final 15 minutes of the one-hour session was enough to hold off Williams Alex Albon, with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda making a rare appearance in front of team-mate Max Verstappen, while the McLaren pair occupied sixth and seventh.
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With the Las Vegas schedule being brought forward by two hours in its third year, the first of three practice sessions started just after sunset around the gambling paradise’s famous Strip.
Given the 6.2km street circuit is only used once a year, the session got off to a slow start as drivers battled with extremely low grip, using low downforce set-ups that further made their cars tricky to drive.
Pierre Gasly and Gabriel Bortoleto were among the drivers going too into the run-off area early on, while world champion Verstappen led the early running which was largely completed on medium tyres across the board.
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After a mid-session lull Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and then Leclerc used Pirelli’s softer C5 compound to climb to the first two spots, with the latter leading by virtue of a 1m35.121s.
Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
Verstappen managed to go marginally quicker 1m35.109s before Leclerc reclaimed top spot with a 1m34.802s, dipping below last year’s leading FP1 time.
Albon was a surprise second for Williams, 0.166s in arrears, with Tsunoda a strong third for Red Bull ahead of Verstappen.
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Carlos Sainz completed a strong session for Williams in fifth, while Lando Norris recovered from two off-track excursions at Turn 12 to take sixth ahead of Isack Hadjar and title rival Oscar Piastri.
McLaren’s low-key session further underlined pre-event expectations that McLaren may well struggle to compete for victory this weekend on a circuit that doesn’t reward its strengths.
Behind Piastri, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli pushed Hamilton outside the top 10 in ninth and 10th, the Mercedes duo not showing its true hand on a track that should suit the squad’s cars.
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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An Elvis Presley impersonator holds up an Ayrton Senna inspired helmet
An Elvis Presley impersonator holds up an Ayrton Senna inspired helmet
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Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
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George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
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Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
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Alexandra Saint Mleux
Alexandra Saint Mleux
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George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, Mercedes
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Gene Haas, Founder and Chairman of Haas F1 Team
Gene Haas, Founder and Chairman of Haas F1 Team
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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
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Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
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Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
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Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Lando Norris, McLaren
Lando Norris, McLaren
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
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Alexander Albon, Williams
Alexander Albon, Williams
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
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Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls Team
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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Hector Vivas / Getty Images
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Chris Graythen / Getty Images
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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A manhole cover comes loose after
A manhole cover comes loose after
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Track officials inspect a manhole cover
Track officials inspect a manhole cover
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
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