Formula 1 kicked off it’s final stretch of races in 2024 as teams and drivers made their way back to North America to the ever-popular Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, a welcome site for race fans after an autumn break following last months Singapore Grand Prix.
The first of six races to end the season, and one of three remaining Sprint Races on the calendar, drivers were eager to take to the circuit for the only practice session of the weekend as teams consolidated their running in anticipation of Friday’s late-afternoon Sprint Qualifying Session.
FP1 Highlights: 2024 United States Grand Prix
Carlos Sainz left his mark on the session, ending quickest of all in his Ferrari as teammate Charles LeClerc followed suite with Max Verstappen and Lando Norris hot on their heels. With only half a second separating the top eight drivers during the session, qualifying looks to be anyone’s game after strong qualifying test runs shows pace amongst the championship leading teams.
Aside from Williams and Ferrari, all remaining teams brough upgrades for this weekend in hopes of closing the gaps as the season winds down, but for some is was a session of disappointment as the projected changes brough more confusion than answers. Of the teams who struggled most, it was fan favorites Mercedes who seemed to struggle as both drivers spun during the session on the recently repaved circuit.
While the hard tire seemed to be the preferred choice, the soft tires proved to be a powerful one-lap option for qualifying as the quickest times of the day came on the red-sidewalled tire.
Outside of the top 4, Oscar Piastri ended his session fifth fastest ahead of Hamilton and Russell in the Mercedes as Kevin Magnussen – in his star-spangled Haas – ended the session eighth quickest in front of the home crowd. Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda were ninth and tenth quickest on the day.
Up next is the Sprint Qualifying, tune in for more coverage as we continue to track the action this weekend.
FORMULA 1 PIRELLI UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2024 Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (Local Circuit) |
| Oct. 18th | Practice 1 | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| Sprint Qualifying | 16:30 – 17:14 | |
| Oct. 19th | Sprint | 13:00 – 14:00 |
| Qualifying | 17:00 – 18:00 | |
| Oct. 20th | Race | 14:00 |
Free Practice 1 Results:
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:33.602 | 25 | |
2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:33.623 | +0.021s | 27 |
3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:33.855 | +0.253s | 23 |
4 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:33.868 | +0.266s | 25 |
5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:33.908 | +0.306s | 26 |
6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.963 | +0.361s | 22 |
7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.093 | +0.491s | 27 |
8 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:34.096 | +0.494s | 24 |
9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:34.112 | +0.510s | 24 |
10 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:34.313 | +0.711s | 20 |
11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:34.364 | +0.762s | 24 |
12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:34.375 | +0.773s | 24 |
13 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 1:34.443 | +0.841s | 28 |
14 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:34.618 | +1.016s | 26 |
15 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:34.619 | +1.017s | 24 |
16 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:34.638 | +1.036s | 24 |
17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:34.806 | +1.204s | 24 |
18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:35.041 | +1.439s | 26 |
19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 1:35.248 | +1.646s | 27 |
20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:37.219 | +3.617s | 15 |
