Fastest Leclerc

Charles Leclerc was the fastest. This Friday, the Monegasque driver set the fastest time in the second free practice session of the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix. The resident of the Ferrari team achieved a time of 1:36.810. A second session which mainly allowed to test the Pirelli tires for the 2023 prototypes. Despite everything, the current second in the general classification of the drivers’ world championship has done better than his pursuer, namely the Mexican Sergio Perez, resident of the Red Bull team, who, meanwhile, only achieved the tenth fastest time of the day. In this ranking, the two men are currently only separated by a small point. Far behind the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), already officially crowned, and this for less than two weeks now, world champion in the specialty, for the second consecutive time, following his victory in Japan.

Hamilton’s Scare

This famous second free practice session was extended by thirty minutes. In order to be able to allow Pirelli to test its prototype slick tires for the 2023 season. Leclerc thus overtook the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), who fails at 715″, while the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) is third at 817″. As for the Top 5 of the day, it was completed by the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, resident of the Ferrari team, while Mick Schumacher took a very surprising fifth place, driving his Haas. For his part, Verstappen set the seventh fastest time, just ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), seven-time world champion in the specialty but who scared himself by starting a little too wide at the front- last turn. Hamilton has already had the opportunity to shine on this same bumpy circuit of the Americas, 5.513 kilometers long. Note Pierre Gasly’s ninth time and Esteban Ocon’s sixteenth.