Charles Leclerc tops United States GP first practice for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in first practice for the United States Grand Prix, putting Ferrari ahead of Max VerstappenMax VerstappenRed Bull · Netherlands · Driver4th POS221 PTS's Red BullRed Bull RacingAustria4th POS332 PTS at the Circuit of the Americas on 23 October. Leclerc's car is described as an upgraded Ferrari, and the session gave the team an immediate return on the new parts.

Verstappen, in form coming into the weekend, had to settle for second on the timesheets. The order at the front is the headline of the session; the size of the gap between the two cars has not been set out by either team.

2026

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POS

4th

PTS

221

WINS

2

PODIUMS

9

Season 2026

What Ferrari's upgrade is

Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ferrari brought a revised car to Austin and it led the order at the first opportunity. What the package contains, and whether it is a one-off for this circuit or the first step in a wider development direction, has not been made public. The team has also not said how much of the gain it attributes to the new parts rather than to the conditions of the session.

Verstappen's starting point

Ank kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Verstappen arrived in the United States on a run of strong form, and Red Bull's task over the weekend is to establish how much of Leclerc's edge is down to the Ferrari and how much is a product of how the first session played out. Being second in the opening hour is a long way from a problem, but it does mean the reference point has moved.

How much to read into first practice

Analysis: a first practice session is the least reliable guide to a race weekend. Teams run different fuel loads, work through aerodynamic and mechanical comparisons, and the track surface improves as rubber goes down, so a fast lap early in the order can flatter a car that has simply found its set-up first. What the session establishes is that the Ferrari is working, not that it will still be ahead when the points are handed out.

What is not yet known

Neither Ferrari nor Red Bull has commented publicly on the margin between the two drivers, and no driver has described how the upgraded car behaves over a longer run. Whether Leclerc can repeat the time when it counts, and whether the Ferrari holds its pace over a race distance, remain open questions. The championship picture is also untouched by an hour of practice.

What happens next in Austin

The weekend continues with the remaining practice running and qualifying, which will set the grid for the grand prix. Those sessions will show whether Ferrari's advantage survives a change in fuel load and track conditions, and whether Red Bull close it. For Ferrari, the value of the morning lies in the direction it points: a car that responds to development is a car that can be raced at the front.