Max opens raceweekend in Austin in third

Published on 18 October 2024 by Florence Cobben

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen has finished the first free practice of the United States Grand Prix in third. It was Carlos Sainz, followed by teammate Charles Leclerc, who outpaced Max on the the partially newly paved, 5.515-meter-long Circuit of the Americas. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, in their McLarens, completed the top five. Max's Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate, Sergio Perez, came in sixteenth. 

The start of the weekend in Austin is dry and sunny. Chance of rain is small and with an air temperature of 24 degrees, the drivers find themselves in promising conditions. At Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson will be replacing Daniel Ricciardo for the rest of the season.

When the lights turn green the track immediately gets busy. Later in the day the teams are up against a sprint qualifying, making this session the only free practice of the week, and of the utmost importance. In a couple of minutes, spectators see Zhou Guanya enter into the pits.  

After five minutes Max drives his RB20 into P1, ahead of both Mercedes. It's anyone's game at the top of the field however, and moments later Charles Leclerc claims the position from the champion. Max is, like most of the grid, driving on hard tyres. 

Carlos Sainz is next to claim first, but then it's only ten minutes before Max takes P1 back from the Ferrari drivers. Pierre Gasly occasions a yellow flag after his Alpine spun in the first turn. The car and driver manage to course correct and drive on without incident. 

Moments later, the crowd is amazed when Lewis Hamilton loses control of his Mercedes in turn three. Like Gasly, Hamilton toed the line with disaster but escaped unhindered, but the Brit still drives into the pits to get a new set of tyres. Teammate George Russell is also struggling with lack of grip and spins in the first turn. The activitiy on track is dampened for a short time by a yellow flag. 

After twenty minutes Leclerc is back in P1 with a time that is only a couple of tenths slower than the poletime of last year. Rising to the challenge, Max emerges onto the track after a short break. Max and Perez both take to the track on soft tyres. Setting three purple sectors, Max soars into P1, taking the covetted position yet again from Sainz. Perez claims P3 with an eight-tenths gap to Max. Oracle Red Bull Racing is the first team to head out on soft tyres, and do not prove to be trendsetters - other teams elect to stay on hards. With just 23 minutes on the timer, Max continues on softs. Perez climbs into P2. 

With just a quarter of an hour to go, most drivers are in the pits; Zhou seems to have motor issues. It's not long before it gets busy, with most drivers heading back out on soft tyres. Hamilton jumps to P2, with an almost half-second gap to P1. Later Lawson jumps to P3, Sainz to P1 and Alonso to P3, setting Hamilton and Lawson back a spot. In the closing stages of the session Piastri nearly crashes after just missing the pit entrance, temporarily causing a virtual safety car. He hit a pole, and the debris had to be cleared away. The last minutes the drivers are free to head out on track.

Contest United States GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

Results first free practice United States: