FP1: Norris leads Hulkenberg and Piastri during sole Austin practice session

Lando Norris topped the timesheets during Friday’s sole practice session ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the McLaren driver leading the way from an impressive Nico Hulkenberg in second and the other papaya car of Oscar Piastri in third.

With the Sprint format returning for its fourth outing of the season this weekend, the drivers and teams had just one hour of practice to dial in their cars before Sprint Qualifying takes place later in the day.

Given the limited time available, a queue of cars had formed in the pit lane – headed by reigning World Champion Max Verstappen – when the green light appeared at 1230 local time, the majority sporting the C1 hard tyres for their opening runs while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll opted for the C3 mediums.

There was a moment of confusion for Isack Hadjar when the Racing Bulls man’s race engineer referenced “Bottas” on track, seemingly mixing up one of the current grid with former Kick Sauber driver – and soon-to-be Cadillac racer – Valtteri Bottas.

This was followed by a brief wide moment for the Frenchman, who complained about traffic as a result. With the session reaching the 15-minute mark, Verstappen had set an early benchmark of 1m 35.426s, putting him 0.132s clear of Singapore winner George Russell in second.

A red flag was thrown with around 40 minutes remaining due to debris on the track at Turn 19, with replays showing Stroll running wide through the corner. And after a brief pause, the action resumed a few minutes later, with Lewis Hamilton – a five-time victor at the Circuit of The Americas – now heading the timesheets on a lap of 1m 34.857s in the Ferrari.

There looked to be plenty of work going on in the Williams garage after Carlos Sainz was called back to the pits, his race engineer having cited a potential issue with the gearbox. The Spaniard was left to watch on as the crew set to investigating the problem.

Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, took a trip across the gravel in his Haas, the American outfit being one of six teams sporting special liveries for the event in Austin. The French driver reported that the brake “stayed at 100 per cent the whole way”.

Elsewhere on the radio waves, Hamilton stated that ”the throttle pedal is really slippery for some reason” as he put another lap on the board, the seven-time World Champion still leading the order by half a second from the McLaren of Norris with 20 minutes to go.

Hamilton subsequently went wide through the hairpin before returning to the pits, the track experiencing a lull in action as the final segment of the session approached. As the final 10 minutes ticked down, several drivers bolted on the C4 soft tyre for their Qualifying simulations, while others switched to the medium compound instead.

As the name at the top of the board continued to change amid the track evolving, Charles Leclerc – last year’s winner of the United States Grand Prix – reported an “oil smell” before heading back to the pits.

But back on the circuit it was Alonso catching the eye, the Aston Martin driver going fastest on a time of 1m 33.639s, just 0.009s ahead of Verstappen in second while Hulkenberg also put in a noteworthy lap to slot into third.

Alonso’s time at the top did not last long, however, with Norris soon displacing him via his effort of 1m 33.294s. As the chequered flag fell, Hulkenberg shot up in second – 0.255s adrift of Norris in the Kick Sauber – while Piastri was 0.279s back from his team mate in third.

Alonso had to settle for fourth ahead of Verstappen, with Williams’ Alex Albon, the Mercedes of Russell, Hamilton, Hadjar and Haas’ Ollie Bearman rounding out the top 10. Ocon followed in P11, while Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto (P12), Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda (P13), Stroll (P14), Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson (P15), Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly (P16 and P17) and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli (P18) were next in the order.

Sainz and Leclerc found themselves at the rear of the classification in 19th and 20th respectively, both having had their running curtailed by their respective car issues.

The drivers and teams will now regroup in the paddock before returning to the track for Sprint Qualifying, which is scheduled to get underway at 1630 local time and will decide the grid for Saturday’s 100-kilometre Sprint.