US GP Practice Results 2026: Leclerc Fastest Twice in Austin

The US GP practice results from Friday 23 October 2026 say the same thing twice: Charles Leclerc, in a Ferrari, was fastest at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. He set 1:36.052 in FP1 and 1:35.291 in FP2, and in the second session Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes sat only 0.042s behind. Qualifying is on Saturday 24 October, the race on Sunday 25 October.

What were the US GP practice results in FP1 and FP2?

In FP1, Leclerc led Max Verstappen by 0.084s. Lando Norris was third at +0.245s, George Russell fourth at +0.326s and Antonelli fifth at +0.481s, with Lewis Hamilton sixth in the other Ferrari at +0.503s, per Crash.net's timing table.

Verstappen's session carries a footnote. Formula1.com reports that his quickest lap, a 1:35.862, was deleted for track limits at Turn 19. That lap would have topped the timesheet. Instead it became a very expensive lesson in where the white line ends.

FP2 was tighter at the top. Leclerc posted 1:35.291, Antonelli was 0.042s back, Verstappen third at +0.189s, Hamilton fourth at +0.615s and Russell fifth at +0.744s. Liam Lawson, Norris, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman completed the top ten, according to Formula1.com's FP2 report. RacingNews365 carries the same top four.

Who had a messy Friday at COTA?

Quite a few. Formula1.com says track limits cost laps to Hamilton, Hadjar and Antonelli in FP2. Russell forced Leclerc off the track and was shown a black-and-white flag; the stewards took no further action. Norris snapped into oversteer on one lap and later locked up, and both McLaren drivers were reported unhappy with their car's handling. Hadjar struggled to close his visor early on.

That is a lot of drama for a session in which the order at the top barely moved. Austin is rough on the new cars, as we explained in our look at the COTA bumps, and Friday looked like a fair demonstration.

What do the practice results mean for qualifying?

Treat them as a hint, not a verdict. Formula1.com notes that the main qualifying simulations were run on softs, but fuel loads and engine modes are never published, so every Friday gap carries a footnote nobody outside the garages can read.

Still, two things are worth writing down. First, Ferrari arrived with upgrades that Formula1.com described as looking promising, and Leclerc used them. Second, Leclerc has not started a single 2026 race from pole in the first 17 rounds on GridRaces data. If the red cars are real front-row material in Austin, that run is under real pressure on Saturday.

The title picture adds a quiet sub-plot: Formula1.com points out that Antonelli could secure his maiden world championship this weekend. A Mercedes second in FP2 does nothing to make Ferrari's weekend easier, or Mercedes' any harder. Check the championship standings before qualifying and see what Sunday would need to look like.

Our read: Leclerc is the favourite for pole, Antonelli is the most likely spoiler, and Verstappen's deleted lap is the loudest "what if" of the day. The tyre picture for Austin is covered in our US GP tyre allocation guide. Put your Energy on your own pole call in the Austin predictions before qualifying starts on Saturday.