Leclerc Sets Pace in Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practise 1

Charles Leclerc set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Red Bull’s yuki Tsunoda.

Leclerc posted a 1m 34.802s, 0.166s faster than Albon, with Tsunoda less than three-tenths behind. This occurred during a session where championship rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri did not contend for the top times.

All 20 drivers ventured onto the high-speed, low-downforce circuit within the first 10 minutes. Cold temperatures and a dirty,dry track presented immediate challenges during the one-hour session.

Early on, small slides from Lewis Hamilton and Ollie Bearman were noticeable. Norris and Pierre Gasly experienced brief excursions into the run-off areas at turns 7 and 12,respectively.

Leclerc and Max Verstappen quickly established themselves as the frontrunners. Leclerc first broke the 1m 36s barrier with a 1m 35.954s lap on medium Pirelli tires after 20 minutes,before Verstappen improved the benchmark by less than two-tenths.

Teams then shifted their attention to longer runs, with drivers experimenting with different tire compounds and fuel loads to gather data for the race. Several drivers completed race simulations, providing valuable insights into tire degradation and overall performance.