Leclerc Sets the Pace in Initial Practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix
The Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, topped the timesheets in the first practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Leclerc beat Williams’ Alex Albon by 0.166 seconds, with Yuki Tsunoda in third position.
Max Verstappen, in the other Red Bull, finished fourth, three tenths of a second behind. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, placed sixth and eighth respectively.
The Formula One season is reaching its climax, with Norris leading the standings with a 24-point advantage over his teammate Piastri, before the final three races.
McLaren has been the dominant team this year, but the street circuit on the Strip has not been the most favorable for their cars in the two previous races held here.
In the first session of the weekend, Norris went off track twice at Turn 12 during two fast laps, finishing 0.456 seconds behind Leclerc’s time. Piastri was even further behind, 0.648 seconds off the leading Ferrari.
Verstappen is the only other driver with chances in the championship, being 49 points behind Norris – the equivalent of two victories – with only 83 points available in the last three races, starting in Nevada, and then in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The Dutch driver, who impressed by finishing third in the previous race in Brazil, after starting from the pit lane, could feel encouraged by McLaren’s lack of initial speed.
In other results, Carlos Sainz finished fifth for Williams, with Isack Hadjar seventh in his RB. Last year’s winner, George Russell, could only manage ninth. Lewis Hamilton finished in eleventh position.
The second session will begin at 20:00 local time (04:00 GMT).
