Hamilton Tops Mercedes 1-2 in Slick Las Vegas GP Opening Practice
Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 finish in the opening practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, setting a benchmark time of 1m35.001s in challenging conditions.
Red F1 car racing around corner
The session took place on an extremely slippery track, with dust coating large sections of the circuit, particularly along the Strip. Cool temperatures around 60°F further complicated driving conditions, causing numerous lock-ups and minor mistakes, especially in the final chicane's braking zone.
Despite the challenging conditions, the session proceeded without any red flags, marking a significant improvement from last year's cancelled first practice. Track grip improved substantially throughout the hour, with Hamilton's time ultimately beating the previous year's Thursday practice benchmark by 0.264s.
George Russell finished second, 0.396s behind his teammate, while Lando Norris secured third place, 0.953s off the pace. Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen rounded out the top five, despite Verstappen reporting intermittent steering wheel connectivity issues.
Notable performances included:
- Carlos Sainz in sixth, testing an experimental Ferrari floor
- Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in seventh and eighth respectively
- Valtteri Bottas receiving a five-place grid penalty for a new energy store
- All drivers successfully adapting to the initially wet-like conditions
F1 Las Vegas Practice 1 Results
The session demonstrated significant track evolution, with early comparisons to wet weather conditions giving way to more planted and confident driving as the hour progressed.