“This is the first day of testing of the year where we have been consistently strong. »
Under particularly cool night temperatures (less than 15 degrees Celsius) which caused many minor off-track excursions, the seven-time world champion marked his territory by finishing first in the first two free practice sessions. First in front of his teammate George Russell then, later in the evening, in front of Lando Norris (McLaren).
“I felt really good today,” Hamilton said. This is the first day of testing of the year where we have been consistently strong. »
Be careful not to get carried away, however: “even though we finished first in both sessions, it's difficult to know exactly where we stand among the competition, because everyone uses fuel loads and race plans different,” he recalled.
Verstappen “on ice”
In the splendor of the streets of Vegas, where an audience of stars is expected all weekend, the Mercedes and Norris kept at bay the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, respectively 4e et 5e at the end of this first day which went off without a hitch – unlike last year for the return of the GP after more than 40 years of absence.
Behind, the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, 6e best time of the day, seemed constantly in the game. His teammate and compatriot Esteban Ocon was 12e Thursday evening.
Far behind, overall leader Max Verstappen finished the day only 17e. But unlike the majority of drivers, he did not record a fast lap on soft tires, the most efficient. During the first session, he took the 5e chrono.
The Dutchman, however, showed some signs of concern for the rest of the weekend, saying he “felt like I was driving on ice”.
“We had trouble getting the tires to work, especially on one lap, and we were quite far off the pace,” he also explained on Thursday evening. “On the long runs, we were a little more competitive, but we still need to fine-tune some things,” he stressed.
In Brazil at the beginning of November, the Red Bull driver found the path to success after more than four months without a victory, taking a serious option to retain his title. To get there in Las Vegas, he must not give up more than two points to his last rival Lando Norris.
Ferrari favorite you Top 3
Las Vegas launches the final marathon of three Grands Prix in three weeks, with Qatar then the final meeting of the year in early December in Abu Dhabi.
If there is almost no doubt that Verstappen will retain his crown this year, on the other hand, everything remains to be played for among the manufacturers since the three leading teams are separated by only 49 points.
McLaren (593 points), which became the leading force on the field in mid-September, is 36 points ahead of Ferrari, second with 557 points, while Red Bull (544 pts) completes the provisional top 3.
On the famous Strip that the drivers will use until Saturday evening – since the race will take place not on Sunday but Saturday at night – Ferrari appears for the moment as the best team of the leading trio, its drivers having systematically appeared in the Top 6 on Thursday.
“This track seems to suit their car,” Verstappen noted this week. “On this type of circuit, Ferrari is always very fast, with braking (and cornering) at 90 degrees. »
But as Scuderia boss Frédéric Vasseur recalled on Thursday, “certainly, we were fast last year but, in the end, it was Verstappen who won”.
