Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc beat Kimi Antonelli to complete a practice double on Friday at the United States Grand Prix.
After narrowly leading Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the opening session, Leclerc improved by almost eight-tenths of a second later in the day to finish 0.042 seconds clear of Mercedes’ Antonelli, who could become Formula One’s youngest world champion on Sunday.
Verstappen looks set to extend his run of two consecutive victories after finishing the second session in third place, within a few tenths of Leclerc’s time of 1:35.291 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton was unable to match team-mate Leclerc’s pace all day, and had to settle for fourth place as he finished more than six-tenths behind the Monegasque.
George Russell was fifth in the other Mercedes but will also be looking for answers overnight after finishing seven tenths behind his team-mate.
Antonelli can win his maiden title if he wins on Sunday, and Russell and Hamilton don’t score enough points to stay in the math fight.
The 20-year-old Italian had to overcome some early disruption after his seat came loose, which left him having to pit and leave the car for the better part of 10 minutes while the problem was repaired.
McLaren suffered a disappointing day as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished seventh and eighth, with both failing to get clean laps in their runs on the soft tyres.
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Max Verstappen made this cheeky move on Liam Lawson as he exited the pit lane and jumped out at the first RB corner.
Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have each brought improvements to the event, while Mercedes are still trying to optimize the package they brought two rounds ago to Malaysia, which has so far failed to deliver the improvement they were hoping for.
Antonelli said: “It was a bit of a difficult start because the seat wasn’t fixed properly, so it felt a bit like being on a roller coaster on the first lap, with the seat moving at high speed.
“We lost some time, but it was still a good recovery. I felt better in the car compared to FP1. There is still a lot of work to do, but it was a good step forward, and now we will try to improve even further for tomorrow.”
Ferrari’s package, which featured updates to the car’s floor, pavement and diffuser, appeared to offer hope that the Italian team could end its eight-race winless run, but Leclerc preached caution after his strong day.
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Ted Kravitz talks about Ferrari’s fourth and final upgrade for the United States Grand Prix.
“The feeling is pretty good, but we have to be careful,” said Leclerc. “It’s only Friday and we’re seeing what we expected but, again, it’s definitely not what everyone thinks in terms of improving and gaining lap times.
“But it’s been a good day. The balance of the car was good and we started straight away in a good window. It paid off and obviously all the hard work that has been done to bring this improvement as quickly as possible is helping us a bit.
“But we shouldn’t have too high expectations for tomorrow because I feel like the others have more potential to unlock for sure. Kimi and Max seem to be very, very strong, McLaren I don’t know yet, I don’t think they have put everything together yet. But Kimi and Max will definitely be up there.”
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After Friday’s practice at the United States Grand Prix, a cautious Charles Leclerc shares his thoughts on Ferrari’s improvements.
There was drama early in the session as Russell was investigated for running Leclerc off the track, but stewards ruled there was “nothing dangerous” in the maneuver as no further action was taken.
Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar sounded a frustrated note on team radio as he could only manage ninth, with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson taking advantage to claim an impressive sixth.
Williams endured a torrid afternoon as Carlos Sainz was 20th and team-mate Alex Albon 22nd as their car struggled to cope with the challenges of the high-speed circuit.
Sky Sports F1 United States GP live schedule
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Check out some of the most dramatic moments that have happened at the United States Grand Prix.
Saturday, October 24
18:15: Third Practice of the United States Grand Prix (session starts at 18:30)
20:30: United States Grand Prix Qualifying*
22:00: UNITED STATES GRAND PRIZE QUALIFICATION*
12:00: F1 Academy race 2*
12.45: Ted’s qualifying notebook*
Sunday, October 25
17:00: Race 3 of the F1 Academy
18:30: Grand Prix Sunday: US GP Preparation*
20:00: United States Grand Prix*
10:00 p.m.: Checkered flag: US GP reaction
11:00 p.m.: Teddy’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 heads to the Americas for another treble with the United States Grand Prix in Austin, the first this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports NOW – no contract, cancel anytime