F1 United States GP: Charles Leclerc completes perfect Friday by topping FP2

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has led the way in Friday practice for Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix, narrowly beating Kimi Antonelli to the top spot in Austin as McLaren struggled for grip.

Leclerc set a 1m35.291s just before the halfway mark of Friday afternoon’s second practice session on Austin’s demanding Circuit of the Americas, pipping Max Verstappen’s initial benchmark as Antonelli slotted into second.

As was the case earlier in FP1, COTA’s bumpy and varied combination of low-speed and high-downforce corners caused teams headaches as they homed in on the best set-up compromise for the 5.5km loop.

As George Russell beat Verstappen’s early medium-tyre benchmark, Oscar Piastri went wide in the McLaren and Isack Hadjar was struggling for overall grip in the Red Bull.

The paddock collectively unwrapped fresh sets of soft tyres shortly before the halfway mark. Those qualifying simulations further highlighted COTA’s challenges, with the circuit’s relentless combination of first sector Esses chewing through the soft tyres.

Russell dramatically lost and then saved his Mercedes through the fastest part of the Esses. Grip was low in the final sector too, with Lando Norris fighting a bucking bronco of a McLaren as he went off the road.

F1 United States GP: Charles Leclerc completes perfect Friday by topping FP2

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Verstappen put his soft tyres to good use to claim top with a 1m35.480s. The Dutchman didn’t stay there for long, though, as on his first soft-tyre flyer Leclerc stopped the clocks after 1m35.291s, two tenths clear of the Red Bull man thanks to a superior third sector.

Championship leader Antonelli split his two rivals in second, falling just 0.042s short of Leclerc’s benchmark.

The trio enjoyed a significant gap to the rest of the field, with Lewis Hamilton shipping six tenths in fourth as he was one of several frontrunners not to turn an optimal lap before shifting to long runs.

Russell recovered from his near crash in the Esses to take fifth, with Liam Lawson a promising sixth for Racing Bulls.

McLaren’s handling issues left Norris and Piastri down in seventh and eighth, one second behind Leclerc.

A frustrated Hadjar was ninth with Haas driver Oliver Bearman rounding out the top 10.