Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the pace in the opening practice session for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, topping the timesheets with a lap of 1:36.052 on Thursday, October 23, 2026, according to Sky Sport. The session marked the return of Formula 1 to the Texas venue for the start of the triple-header, with teams evaluating new aerodynamic packages across a bumpy asphalt layout.
Leclerc led the field by 0.084 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, with McLaren driver Lando Norris claiming third place. The sixty-minute opening practice at the Austin circuit provided the first real data points for teams adjusting to localized track conditions and managing the strict enforcement of track limits that threaten to complicate the weekend.
Technical Upgrades Drive Ferrari Pace at Circuit of The Americas
The Scuderia debuted a revised floor package on the SF-26 that appeared to immediately improve high-speed stability and diffuser efficiency through the sweeping turns of the first sector. The new components functioned particularly well during long-run race simulations. Leclerc capitalized on the development to edge out his rivals, though teammate Lewis Hamilton finished the session sixth overall, running half a second behind his teammate after opting to forgo the new floor layout during opening practice to gather comparative baseline data for the engineers at Maranello.
Max Verstappen finished second fastest for Red Bull, though his initial benchmark lap—which briefly eclipsed Leclerc’s best—was deleted by race control after the Dutchman exceeded track limits. Verstappen completed his fastest effort on soft compound tires while Leclerc recorded his benchmark on medium compound rubber, indicating a tighter margin between the front-runners than raw times suggest.
Mercedes and McLaren Navigate Setup Hurdles in Texas
McLaren’s Lando Norris secured third place with a lap of 1:36.297, showing strong pace during simulated race runs, while teammate Oscar Piastri struggled to match the pace, finishing seventh. Mercedes completed significant mileage as both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli ran the full aerodynamic update package introduced previously in Malaysia, which now includes a revised front wing assembly. Russell placed fourth with a time of 1:36.378, while championship leader Antonelli took fifth in 1:36.533 as he enters the Austin weekend with his first mathematical opportunity to secure the world drivers’ championship.
Track conditions at COTA presented immediate challenges, with bumpy surfaces causing handling difficulties for heavily fueled cars during the early running. Teams spent considerable time managing trajectory through the Esses to avoid the four-infraction threshold that triggers official post-session penalties during the competitive phases of the weekend.
Opening Practice Classification at Austin
The second practice session is scheduled to begin at 23:00 local Italian time, providing teams with cooler ambient temperatures and a cleaner track surface to finalize qualifying setups ahead of the weekend’s competitive sessions.
Worth a look
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