Charles Leclerc Edges Out Antonelli and Verstappen in FP2 at United States Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the second practice session at the United States Grand Prix, narrowly beating Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. The session was marked by track limit violations and a late surge on soft tyres.
Charles Leclerc ended Friday's practice sessions at the United States Grand Prix on a high, clocking the fastest lap in FP2. The Ferrari driver managed to edge out Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who both put in strong performances under the Texan sun.
The session kicked off at 4 PM local time, with Pierre Gasly leading the charge onto the Circuit of The Americas. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez returned to his Cadillac after Colton Herta's stint in FP1. Max Verstappen quickly set the pace with a time of 1:36.581 on medium tyres, while his teammate Isack Hadjar had to contend with a tricky visor issue.
Lewis Hamilton's initial efforts on hard tyres didn't quite go to plan, as he found himself seven-tenths off Verstappen's time, only to have his lap deleted for exceeding track limits. He wasn't alone in his struggle; both Hadjar and Antonelli also saw their laps canceled, with the latter expressing discomfort with his seat.
George Russell briefly took the top spot by bettering Verstappen's time, but his lead was short-lived as the Dutchman reclaimed P1. Lando Norris made a bid for the fastest lap but was thwarted by an oversteer, leaving him third before returning to the pits.
As traffic thinned out, Antonelli improved to third, trailing Russell, who was under investigation for an incident with Leclerc. The stewards, however, decided no further action was necessary. It was during the qualifying simulation runs on soft tyres that Leclerc surged to the top, while others like Russell and Hadjar continued to fall foul of track limits.
Hadjar wasn't enamored with his car's performance, describing it as "disgusting" due to degradation issues. Meanwhile, Norris locked up and veered off track, and Russell had a hair-raising moment during a flying lap.
In the final 20 minutes, teams shifted their focus to long runs. The chequered flag confirmed Leclerc's narrow lead over Antonelli by just 0.042 seconds. Verstappen, Hamilton, and Russell rounded out the top five.
Liam Lawson secured sixth for Racing Bulls, with McLaren's Norris and Oscar Piastri following. Hadjar and Haas' Ollie Bearman completed the top ten. Further down, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto led a pack that included Gasly, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, Esteban Ocon of Haas, and several others.
With two practice sessions in the books, teams will now analyze their data before Saturday's FP3 and the crucial Qualifying session at 4 PM local time.