Lewis Hamilton kicked off his Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend on a positive note, setting the fastest time in the opening practice session on Friday evening. The Mercedes driver topped the timesheets with a 1:35.001, leading his teammate George Russell, who finished second, four-tenths of a second behind.
Despite the 6:30 p.m. start time, which brought the session closer to daytime conditions than typical for Las Vegas Grand Prix events, the track remained shrouded under the night sky, with temperatures dropping below 15°C. The cool conditions, combined with a thick layer of visible dust on the circuit, provided minimal grip for the drivers.
Liam Lawson compared the slippery surface to “driving in the wet,” and Max Verstappen, along with Zhou Guanyu, both experienced heavy lock-ups at Turn 14, adding large clouds of white tyre smoke to the dusty atmosphere.
Despite the challenging conditions, drivers managed to keep their cars out of the barriers, and the session ran smoothly without interruptions. Hamilton used both the medium and soft tires throughout the hour-long session, keeping his lap of 1:35.001 unbeaten.
Lando Norris placed third for McLaren, just under a second slower than Hamilton, while Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari. Verstappen, dealing with a steering wheel connection issue, finished in fifth. Carlos Sainz was sixth, ahead of Fernando Alonso in seventh. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was eighth, despite an unusual issue midway through the session where he was unable to switch off his power unit after returning to the pits. The team eventually managed to fix the issue and send Piastri back out.
Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten. Russell completed the most laps of any driver, with 29, while all drivers logged at least 23 laps in total.
2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix – First Practice Results
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W15 | 1’35.001 | – |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W15 | 1’35.397 | 0.396 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’35.954 | 0.953 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’36.007 | 1.006 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’36.038 | 1.037 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-24 | 1’36.218 | 1.217 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR24 | 1’36.262 | 1.261 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL38 | 1’36.451 | 1.450 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’36.478 | 1.477 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB20 | 1’36.536 | 1.535 |
| 11 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’36.811 | 1.810 |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR24 | 1’36.817 | 1.816 |
| 13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’36.948 | 1.947 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A524 | 1’37.152 | 2.151 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-24 | 1’37.200 | 2.199 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari | C44 | 1’37.765 | 2.764 |
| 17 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams-Mercedes | FW46 | 1’38.025 | 3.024 |
| 18 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber-Ferrari | C44 | 1’38.350 | 3.349 |
| 19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’38.574 | 3.573 |
| 20 | 30 | Liam Lawson | RB-Honda RBPT | 01 | 1’38.730 | 3.729 |
Hamilton’s early performance suggests that Mercedes is set to be a strong contender in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Russell also showing solid pace. However, as the weekend progresses, the fluctuating conditions and unpredictable grip levels could make for an exciting and challenging race ahead.
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