Carlos Sainz topped the charts in the opening practice session of the United States Grand Prix, with teammate Charles Leclerc close behind. Sainz set the fastest lap at 1:33.602, just 0.021 seconds ahead of Leclerc. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the reigning three-time champion and current leader, finished third, two-tenths of a second slower than the Ferrari drivers. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, while seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell rounded out the top six. Kevin Magnussen made a strong return to Haas, finishing eighth.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso placed ninth, followed by Yuki Tsunoda from AlphaTauri, while Sergio Perez struggled for pace, ending up in 16th for Red Bull. Verstappen is keen to end his winless streak since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, especially with Norris narrowing the championship gap to 52 points with six races remaining. After a four-week break, many teams arrived in Texas with new upgrades, with McLaren and Mercedes showcasing notable improvements on a warm morning.
Norris was the first on track but had a minor off when he misjudged his braking. Leclerc initially set the pace with a time of 1:36.724, but Sainz quickly matched him. Verstappen then took the lead with a 1:35.538 for Red Bull, while Hamilton faced challenges, including a spin at Turn Four that damaged his tires.
As the session progressed, Sainz and Leclerc regained the top spots before Red Bull switched to medium and soft tires, allowing Verstappen to clock a 1:33.855—nearly a second faster than Sainz. Perez climbed to second with 20 minutes left, establishing a Red Bull 1-2 ahead of Ferrari. Near the end, leaders returned on soft tires. Alex Albon had a close call on his 100th Grand Prix at Turn 12, while Piastri triggered a brief Virtual Safety Car after nearly hitting the pit wall.
