After being removed from the racing calendar last year because of the COVID pandemic, United States Grand Prix returns this season.
So let’s take a look at the highlights that emerged from the FP1 and FP2 sessions at the Circuit of The Americas.
Fernando Alonso brings the red flag early in the FP1 session as the Spaniard came to a halt at Turn 12 on his installation lap. Alpine instructed Alonso to stop his car as a precaution but managed to get him back out on track later in the session.
Just before the halfway mark in the FP1 session, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc endured a dramatic spin between Turns 4 and 5 but managed to keep his car away from the barriers. Eventually, the Monegasque driver ended the session at P4.
2019 US GP winner Valtteri Bottas edged out his teammate Lewis Hamilton by just four-hundredths of a second to lead Mercedes to a comfortable 1-2 finish ahead of their arch-rival, Red Bull, in the opening practice session at the COTA.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen went wheel to wheel through the final corner and down the pit straight in the FP2 session with 10 minutes on the clock. After which, the Dutchman labeled his arch-rival a “stupid idiot”.
Sergio Perez sparked hopes of a Red Bull resurgence as he went fastest in the FP2 session. However, Hamilton’s 1m34.842s time would have leap-frogged Sergio Perez, but going beyond the accepted track limits cost the Briton the top spot.