Carlos Sainz Jr. topped Free Apply One as Components 1 returned from a three-week break for the 2024 United States Grand Prix.
Scuderia Ferrari got here flying out the blocks, with Charles Leclerc simply behind his teammate in second and with simply the one apply session, they’ll be hoping to take this momentum into Dash Qualifying later at this time.
Pierre Gasly had a second at Flip 1, arising the hill earlier than dropping his Alpine beneath braking. The Frenchman saved it out the wall and received going once more. It was then Lewis Hamilton’s flip to spin, dropping the rear after hitting a bump on the circuit.
Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, then spun his W15 at Flip 1. The Mercedes–AMG Petronas F1 Workforce automotive regarded tough to deal with all through the primary apply session in Austin and with only one session earlier than Dash Qualifying, that’ll be a fear for the Brackley squad.
Liam Lawson was getting his first full-time F1 laps beneath his belt and was sitting twelfth after 25 minutes of the session, though half a second away from Yuki Tsunoda within the different Visa Money App RB.
Zhou Guanyu had points, dropping energy earlier than slowly going again to the pits. The Chinese language driver, who seems unlikely to be on the grid for 2025, didn’t exit once more within the session.
The drivers all went late to go on their ultimate qualifying simulations with Dash Qualifying simply across the nook. Sainz and Leclerc have been separated by simply +0.021s with Sainz’s time of 1:33.602 being the quickest of the session.
Reigning champion, Max Verstappen was +0.253s away from Sainz, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri additional again in fourth and fifth. The McLaren F1 Workforce pair didn’t look snug all through the primary session in COTA.
They have been adopted by the Mercedes duo in sixth and seventh. Kevin Magnussen confirmed promise at MoneyGram Haas F1 Workforce’s dwelling Grand Prix, ending the session eighth forward of Fernando Alonso and Tsunoda, who rounded out the highest ten.
Nico Húlkenberg was eleventh, forward of Gasly, who managed to recuperate and get loads of laps in after his early spin. Lawson wound up in thirteenth, forward of Alex Albon and Lance Stroll.
Sergio Pérez had a tough hour, ending up in sixteenth and over a second off the tempo. Esteban Ocon was seventeenth forward of Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colaptino and Zhou.
