What the teams said – Thursday in Las Vegas

Ferrari

Leclerc topped the opening session for the Scuderia, looking quick on both the mediums and then the soft tyres. Hamilton could not quite match that, as he took a little longer to find his rhythm. The former then had an eventful FP2 session, nearly hitting the walls after a lock-up. Leclerc flirted with the top of the leaderboard again, before parking up after the first red flag with what looked like a hydraulics issue. As for Hamilton, he did not get his soft tyre run in before those red flags arrived.

Charles Leclerc - FP1: 1:34.802, P1; FP2: 1:33.763, P3

"Our pace was strong today and I think we are in a relatively good place. That said, our competitors are strong and we have to wait and see how qualifying will play out. It will be tight, so I hope we can build on the positive day we had today and be in the fight for a top position tomorrow. "Now, it’s all about trying to anticipate the conditions we will find in qualifying and start the day on the right foot."

Lewis Hamilton - FP1: 1:35.561, P11; FP2: 1:34.127, P10

"FP2 was a good session. We made some strong changes and the car felt a lot better than it did in FP1, and even if the results don’t show it yet, I’m feeling quite positive. It was a bit unfortunate not to finish a lap on the Soft tyre, and with the issue with the manhole cover, no one really managed to get any long runs in today. Tomorrow looks wet, so it’s going to be a challenging day, but I’m feeling good about it."

McLaren

McLaren had a tricky opening session in Las Vegas, with Norris clipping the wall in FP1. Fortunately his car was okay, but the team did have to investigate his floor later on which cost him some track time. With Mclaren also experimenting with Piastri’s rear wing configuration, the Australian too lost some running. On the softs, both struggled to put together a clean lap. But Norris fared much better in the second session, topping the leaderboard on both the mediums and then the softs. Piastri did not get a clean run in on the softs before the red flags, and thus is playing catch up heading into tomorrow.

Lando Norris - FP1: 1:35.258, P6; FP2: 1:33.602, P1

“We didn’t manage to get too much from FP2, given the disruption, but we did get a slightly better feeling than in FP1. We made some good progress and we’ve got a reasonable feeling altogether. Some positives to build on and some areas to try and improve going into tomorrow.”

Oscar Piastri - FP1: 1:35.450, P8; FP2: 1:34.493, P14

“With the Red Flags in FP2, it’s difficult to know exactly where we sit, but the car has decent pace and there are plenty of positives. FP1 was a pretty good session, and we just didn’t get a lap on the Soft with the disruption in FP2. We’ll do some more tweaking overnight and see what weather we’ve got tomorrow.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

“This track requires intense work to fine-tune the car and find the right reference points for the drivers. It is therefore important to try to make the most of all the time available in Free Practice, which only happened today in the first of the two sessions. In the second one, light rain at the beginning and then a couple of Red Flags in the final part made the work of all the teams much more disrupted. In particular, the information that is normally gathered during long runs is missing.

“For our part, we know that there is still work to be done to adjust the setup of the car: we know that the characteristics of the track and the conditions in which we are racing are not the best for us, but we will do our utmost to put the drivers in the best possible position to fully exploit the potential available.”

Red Bull

Tsunoda beat Verstappen on merit in FP1, the Japanese racer looking as comfortable in the RB21 as he has at any point this season. Both he and the Dutchman looked quick in a car that seemed settled, which bodes well for the weekend. But they did not complete their runs at the end of FP2 before the red flags came out, leaving both drivers slightly out of position. Verstappen was very much in the mix until that point though, looking quick on the medium tyre at least.

Max Verstappen - FP1: 1:35.109, P4; FP2: 1:34.105, P9

“The balance in the car today has been okay and I think we do still need to improve a little bit and find some more grip in the tyres. Of course, the track improved a bit more in each session, so we were just trying to find how we could operate the tyres in a good window for Qualifying and the race. It has just been tricky with those interruptions to the session, but this was the same for everyone. You can’t compare this to other tracks with similar levels of downforce as it is a lot colder here and the surface is very slippery. Being fast on those tracks does not mean it is a given that you will be quick here, so we will have to see how we go tomorrow.”

Yuki Tsunoda - FP1: 1:35.071, P3; FP2: 1:34.692, P15

“Overall, today has given me good confidence and I am happy with how we have ended our first day here in Vegas. My FP1 felt very strong and while, it is a shame how interrupted our second session was with all the track issues, I think the pace is there still. I am starting to learn about this car and especially on these low grip tracks, you want to have good confidence in the car because you are consistently controlling the car. The car was a little different in the second session to what I felt in FP1, but we recovered in the right direction as the session went on, and still even then the pace was ok. It was also good we managed to test different set-ups across the cars and now it’s about putting it all together tomorrow. I think it is very tight between four teams and we still have to find a little bit more speed in the car. I hope, and I am sure, we will find something overnight on the cars around us and let’s see how it goes tomorrow.”

Gianpiero Lambiase, Head of Racing

“Today was a difficult day in tricky conditions. As ever at this track, and in these conditions, getting the tyres into their correct operating window proves to be a challenge, but it is one that we need to get on top of as this is where the bulk of the lap time gains will be found. On a positive note, both drivers have been happy with the underlying balance of the car all day, so we don't expect to be turning things upside down this evening. Looking ahead to Sunday, there haven't been any meaningful long run simulations in either session, so both strategy and overall relative competitiveness are unknowns at this stage for everyone.”

Mercedes

Mercedes went into the weekend as one of the favourites, but they seemed content to build slowly and not chase lap times. Even so, both drivers were in the top 10 in the first session and split by just 0.004s. Antonelli continued his recent run of impressive form in FP2, pushing Norris really close and winding up just 0.029s back from the McLaren man. Russell might have been even faster as he was on a hot lap when the red flags came out, having just gone purple in the first sector. What he could achieve will remain unknown though, as he goes into tomorrow with a few unanswered questions.

George Russell - FP1: 1:35.534, P9; FP2: 1:34.037, P7

"We haven’t had a bad day today. I think we are in the mix near the front, but we need to be realistic that several of our competitors also looked strong but didn’t put their laps together yet. We’ve come into this weekend with people keen to put the favourites tag on us, but the situation has changed a lot in the 12 months since we were so strong here last year. We have made the car stronger at other circuits but that has possibly made us slightly less strong here.

"It is definitely going to be close come qualifying tomorrow. It looks like there are any number of cars that could take pole position so we will have to be at our very best if we are to score a good result. We will work hard overnight and see what we can do tomorrow."

Kimi Antonelli - FP1: 1:35.538, P10; FP2: 1:33.631, P2

"Our first day on track here in Las Vegas was a good one. I enjoyed learning the track lap-by-lap and I felt good in the car throughout. We’ve still got some work to do if we want to be challenging at the very front this weekend, but it was a solid start.

"The track evolution was a surprise to me. The circuit was very green in FP1 and ramped up so much over the course of the day. We are expecting the same tomorrow so we will have to be ready for that, react accordingly and keep evolving as the track itself does. We will see how much that impacts qualifying, but it is definitely something we will need to take into account."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"Track evolution is a major factor of any first day on a street circuit, and that is particularly true here in Las Vegas with a track that is only used once a year combined with the cold temperatures. FP1 is therefore about getting as much consecutive running as possible, enabling the drivers to build their confidence and to get the tyres into a good working window. That was particularly important for Kimi given it’s his first visit here. Both he and George acquitted themselves well, completing useful single lap and high fuel work. Our long runs looked competitive, and we weren’t far off on low fuel but, given how much the circuit will change heading into Friday and then Saturday, we can’t read too much into that.

"FP2 was still a useful session despite the two red flag interruptions. We didn’t get to add to our long run data from earlier in the day, but we gathered more information on the single lap on both the Medium and Soft tyre. Kimi was in the minority of drivers who managed to put together a good lap on the Soft before the interruptions, leaving him P2. George’s lap didn't appear on the time sheets as the red flag came out just before he crossed the line, but he was on course for a time that would have put him P3, despite losing a bit of time into turn 12 with a lock-up. We had quite different setups across the cars in the second session, so we'll do some work overnight to pick through those differences to understand what we want to carry into FP3. Overall, it has been a solid start to the weekend."

Williams

Williams are sporting a new-look black livery here, and they certainly look the part on the track and on the timing sheets. Albon impressed by finishing P2 in the first session, backed up by Sainz in fifth place. Both drivers did say this track should suit their car and both appeared quick in FP2 as well, although the red flags meant the full pecking order remains a bit of a mystery. Nonetheless, Sainz and Albon look very much in the mix for Q3 slots tomorrow.

Alex Albon - FP1: 1:34.968, P2; FP2: 1:34.067, P8

"Overall, I’m happy with today. This track suits us on paper and it seems to be doing so, but it is still close across the grid with very fine margins. In FP1 we got the tyres to work well, while FP2 was a little bit disruptive and we didn’t end up getting everything out of it. There are a few things to improve and focus on for tomorrow, and some more data crunching to do ahead of qualifying, but we’re in a decent place after today."

Carlos Sainz - FP1: 1:35.179, P5; FP2: 1:34.435, P13

"Unfortunately, the issues in FP2 took away valuable time for everyone, especially for those who went out late like myself. Other than that, today looked promising. The balance of the car feels good, and the tyres feel okay, maybe too close to the limit but I think we’re on the right path. The forecast is looking like rain overnight but clear for when we’re on track, so we’ll keep working to fine tune the setup for when it matters."

Racing Bulls

Hadjar was the pick of the two Racing Bulls drivers in FP1, coming home in the top 10. But he did have a couple of moments, throwing his hands in the air in frustration at traffic at one point, before pitting with a loose stone rattling round in his cockpit. He impressed again in FP2, as did Lawson – those two both nailing their first soft tyre flying laps, which could not be said of everyone. The duo were evenly matched in the second session, Lawson very much catching up as the tight intra-team fight continues.

Isack Hadjar - FP1: 1:35.299, P7; FP2: 1:33.893, P5

“We had quite a good start to the weekend here in Vegas. It was less tricky than expected; I think the track is probably in better condition than last year. The overall grip is also better than I thought and I got into the rhythm quickly from FP1. Even if we don’t have much mileage on long runs, we had pretty good short runs today, which is great ahead of tomorrow’s Qualifying. We know it’s going to be tough, but it’s the usual story as other weekends where our target for tomorrow is getting into Q3.”

Liam Lawson - FP1: 1:35.709, P13; FP2: 1:33.901, P6

“I'm feeling positive after today's sessions. We struggled a little bit in FP1 and not everyone got to complete their laps during FP2, so we need to be mindful that we're perhaps not quite where we ended up. The main thing is that we're in a much better place than where we started today. Tomorrow, we'll have another opportunity to keep building on the car, so will see where we end up as it's very close as usual. It's super low grip on track and we had light drizzle which we couldn't see but could feel, making it very confusing to drive. Tomorrow, we shouldn't have any rain, but if we do it's going to be very tough. As always, we'll be working hard to ensure everything comes together for Qualifying."

Mattia Spini, Chief Race Engineer

“The cold temperatures, low-downforce setup and naturally slippery surface made the Las Vegas circuit a challenge for both drivers and engineers. With the track starting the weekend in a very “green” condition, lap times improved quickly as more rubber went down. FP1 ran according to plan and our overall pace was ballpark, even if neither driver managed a fully clean lap. For FP2 we made more setup changes than usual to improve car balance, which is often challenging on such a low-grip layout. The direction was positive, and both Isack and Liam felt more comfortable with the car. We were also among the few teams able to complete a proper push lap on the Soft tyres before the red flag interrupted the session. However, that same interruption prevented any high-fuel running, so we could not collect long-run tyre and car behaviour data. Looking ahead to tomorrow, Qualifying remains important, but the Las Vegas track offers good overtaking opportunities. Strong race pace will be just as critical as single-lap performance.”

Kick Sauber

Hulkenberg bucked the trend and was the only driver to try the hard compound tyre in FP1, with the majority on the mediums. He gathered some good data for his team, while Bortoleto ended up in hot water for a yellow flag infringement. However, the stewards found the Brazilian did lift and they took no further action. Bortoleto then, like his team mate earlier, was the only driver who ran the hard tyres in FP2, while the German was on the mediums. But while Hulkenberg got his soft tyre run in and impressed, Bortoleto did not and thus was down the order.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:36.170, P18; FP2: 1:33.879, P4

“It was a pretty standard Friday for us. We worked through the usual run plan, and FP1 felt quite positive overall, while FP2 was a bit more difficult. I think a lot of drivers didn’t get a clean run on the softs, so the picture is still a bit unclear in terms of pace. There’s the usual work to do overnight: improving the balance of the car and fine-tuning the setup. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold tomorrow once everything settles and we get a clearer read on the field.”

Gabriel Bortoleto - FP1: 1:36.398, P19; FP2: 1:35.499, P20

“Overall, it's been a positive, productive day. It’s a bit difficult to read the times since some drivers completed laps on the softs while others didn’t, and my own run on the softest compound was interrupted by a red flag. Still, running mostly on the hards helped me understand how the tyres behave, and up until the session came to a halt, the softs felt decent, too. It’s a new track and everything is still fresh for me, but we managed to get up to good speed today. There’s still room to improve, but I think we’re in a solid place with one practice session left before qualifying tomorrow.”

Alpine

Gasly tends to go well here and he certainly looked happy in the opening session, threatening the top 10 for much of the first hour of practice. In the end he had to settle for P12, while Colapinto struggled a little more to get to grips with the track. The Frenchman repeated his P12 result in FP2, and having qualified an impressive third here last year, looks confident once again. Colapinto improved as the day continued, managing to move a few places up the order.

Pierre Gasly - FP1: 1:35.589, P12; FP2: 1:34.373, P12

“It's been an encouraging day for us today. I felt good in the car from the start of Practice, which is important, especially at a difficult track like this where you need confidence in the car to take enough risk. The car balance has been in a decent place all day and there are a couple of things I would like to work on but, overall, I have been comfortable and able to push the car towards its limits. Free Practice 2 was a messier session, also with the red flag stoppages at the end, and we were not able to fully maximise our programme. We will keep working hard and take some confidence into tomorrow. I have a decent record in Qualifying here so I want to keep the stats up! The target is to be in the mix for Q3 and we will give it our best to try and achieve that.”

Franco Colapinto - FP1: 1:36.758, P20; FP2: 1:34.824, P16

“It was quite a tricky day where I never really felt at ease with the car. The first session felt pretty poor in terms of balance and overall grip, and I couldn't really find my way. However, the second session was better and we showed signs of improvement but some of the same issues we felt carried over. The second session was also a messy one, with not much to learn, particularly on the Soft tyres with two red flags at the end. Similar to Brazil, I'm struggling to have a good feeling in the car. We have some work to do in order to understand some of the recurring issues and why they're amplified in certain conditions. Historically this season, we have started the weekend slowly and seen improvements as the sessions progressed. So, we'll put in the hard work with the team tonight and see if we can find any steps forward for tomorrow when it really counts.”

Aston Martin

Alonso started the weekend with a jaunt on the soft tyres, the only driver to begin on the C5 rubber. But despite that, him and his team mate – on the mediums – were fairly well-matched pace-wise. The Spaniard then did not get a clean lap in on the softs in the second session thanks to the stoppages, while Stroll managed a couple more laps on the softs than his team mate. But all in all, Aston Martin’s true place in the pecking order is an unknown heading into the second day of action.

Fernando Alonso - FP1: 1:35.746, P14; FP2: 1:35.012, P18

"It's difficult to read anything today as the red flags disrupted some of the push laps at the end.

"There was also a little bit of rain in Free Practice Two. So far it seems we don't have a lot of pace here, but we'll see how we go tomorrow in Qualifying."

Lance Stroll - FP1: 1:35.894, P15; FP2: 1:34.191, P11

"The slippery track and cold conditions are the biggest challenges here in Vegas. This circuit is all about building up confidence under braking and trying to find that last metre. We've made some small adjustments and I was getting more and more comfortable in the car throughout the day so that was a positive.

"We've now got some things to work on but the feeling in the car wasn't too bad."

Haas

Bearman locked up and ran wide a couple of times in FP1, as he got used to the grip levels here – which are always low at the start of the weekend. He did finish just ahead of his team mate though, as what is Haas’ third home race of the season. The Briton locked up again in FP2, flat spotting his tyres in the process, and admitted to finding conditions quite tough to get used to. He is looking the quicker of the duo though, finishing ahead of Ocon once again.

Esteban Ocon – FP1: 1:36.123, P17; FP2: 1:35.228, P19

“It was difficult out there, like it always is in Vegas. It’s difficult to get the tires up to temperature, and with the little bit of rain out there in FP2, it was even harder. We have the main things to try and improve tomorrow, we couldn’t complete our run on the soft compound, we didn’t do any laps on it in FP2, so it was a bit of a disrupted session, but we got enough information to learn from. We’re going to work on getting more temperature into the tyres and gaining more confidence in braking.”

Oliver Bearman - FP1: 1:35.990, P16; FP2: 1:34.986, P17

“We know there’s big track evolution on a track like this, but honestly, those first few laps I did in FP1 – on a new track – I was shocked by how low the grip was. It’s hard to describe the low level of grip that’s out there, but in turn, it means track evolution is incredibly high. In FP2, we were quite early to get onto the soft tyre, I didn’t manage to do a lap on it sadly, but it meant when I pitted, I was in a good position, and when I went out again, I was suddenly five or six tenths further from the front. It was a tricky session with the rain, traffic, and other interruptions, but I think we learned a lot. It’s a new track for me, so I’m also finding my rhythm around here, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“It was a tricky day today with all the interruptions. FP1 started okay, we knew which area of the car to work on. In FP2, we were going to build on it, but the track at the start of the session was a bit wet. The run on mediums was okay and we were looking forward to a run on softs but with the red flags, we couldn’t get a lap in. I think we got enough data to improve the car, but in FP3 tomorrow we need to focus on understanding the best way to prepare soft tires for qualifying.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

"As expected, right from the first free-practice session the effect of track evolution at the Las Vegas circuit was very noticeable. The track is only closed to normal road traffic a few hours before the cars go out, so it was very dirty at first and began to rubber in progressively as the number of laps increased, which was reflected in the drop in the lap times seen from the start to the end of the sessions.

“The times were lower than those seen in the same session last year: Lando Norris beat Hamilton’s best 2024 FP2 time by just over two tenths, a time that is already close to last year’s pole position lap.

"In FP1, low track temperatures lead to graining on Medium and Soft compounds, although less so than last year and it had no effect on wear. This factor mainly affected the front axle, which was subjected to the biggest cooling effect on the main straight and is also the cause of the understeer that cars can experience at this track.

“The difference in the tyres’ final appearance across the various compounds was largely influenced by the different programmes adopted by the teams. The Mediums, used for more laps with high fuel loads, showed greater signs of graining compared to the Softs, which were used almost exclusively for qualifying simulations.

"The track improvement and the low fuel loads used during the runs in the second free-practice session, before it was interrupted by the red flag, helped to significantly improve the condition of the tyres.

"The Hards, which delivered lap times not far off those of the Mediums, appear to be the ideal candidate for Sunday’s race, especially if teams can find the key to extending their stint and making the most of them in terms of possible strategies.”