Practice pace is fluid, not fate: Ferrari dominates COTA track time as Hamilton sets fastest lap
Charles Leclerc topped both Friday sessions at COTA, with FP1 a 1:36.052 leading Verstappen by 0.084s and FP2 a 1:35.291 clear of Antonelli. Saturday's FP3 saw Lewis Hamilton fastest at 1:34.893, ahead of Verstappen and teammate Leclerc. Colton Herta replaced Sergio Pérez in FP1 for Cadillac, continuing his rookie outing mandate.
Ferrari seizes COTA momentum across two Friday sessions
Charles Leclerc took top spot for Ferrari, narrowly clear of Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver got off to another fast start. [1] In FP1, Lando Norris took third place for McLaren, ahead of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes , while Lewis Hamilton ranked sixth for Ferrari, Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren. [2]
Charles Leclerc repeated his FP1 result by topping the second practice, this time by 0.042 seconds ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. [3] Max Verstappen was third-fastest ahead of Lewis Hamilton, 0.6 seconds behind his team-mate in his part-updated Ferrari. [3] The Mercedes drivers split the remaining podium spots; George Russell was fifth in FP2. [4] McLaren's performance slipped slightly on Friday afternoon, with both drivers falling further from the top.
Hamilton breaks Ferrari's hold in Saturday morning FP3
The final practice session saw a change atop the order. Lewis Hamilton went fastest in the final free practice session for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, with a 1:34.893s seeing him take top spot by over a tenth from Max Verstappen, with teammate Charles Leclerc – fastest in FP1 and FP2 on Friday – third. [5] Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fourth, followed by Mercedes partner George Russell, with Oscar Piastri rounding out the top six. [5]
Outside of the top five was Oscar Piastri, who ended up in sixth place for McLaren. Nico Hulkenberg ended practice inside the top ten as he was in seventh place for Audi, with Lando Norris in eighth place for McLaren. Completing the top ten was the Alpine of Pierre Gasly in ninth place, and the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar in tenth place. [6]
Mandatory rookie outing: Herta replaces Pérez
Colton Herta had another practice hour at Cadillac, in place of Sergio Perez as the American took a chance for more Formula 1 experience in free practice. He finished the session 21st, nine tenths behind Valtteri Bottas.
Related reading
https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-results-united-states-grand-prix-2026-fp1 https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-results-united-states-grand-prix-2026-fp1 https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp2-leclerc-sets-the-pace-from-antonelli-and-verstappen-in-second-practice-at-united-states-grand-prix.4lRGhApoylA3exqOxagIqx https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/1091928/f1-results-today-us-grand-prix-final-practice-times-positions-2026-fp3/ https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1108324/1/formula-1-us-grand-prix-full-final-practice-results https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1108324/1/formula-1-us-grand-prix-full-final-practice-results https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-sergio-perez-not-racing-140000726.html https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-results-united-states-grand-prix-2026-fp1
- [1]FP2: Leclerc sets the pace from Antonelli and Verstappen in second practice at United States Grand Prix (formula1). Accessed 2026-10-24.
- [2]F1 results: United States Grand Prix 2026 - FP1 (planetf1). Accessed 2026-10-24.
- [3]Formula 1 US Grand Prix: Full final practice results (crash). Accessed 2026-10-24.
- [4]F1 Results Today: US Grand Prix final practice times and positions (gpfans). Accessed 2026-10-24.
- [5]Why Is Sergio Perez Not Racing at US GP FP1? (yahoo). Accessed 2026-10-24.
- [6]F1 US Grand Prix: Full Friday practice results at COTA (crash). Accessed 2026-10-24.