FP1 report and highlights from the 2024 United States Grand Prix: Carlos Sainz leads Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in only United States GP practice as the sprint format returns

When the sprint format returned for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, it was Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz who was fastest in the single hour of practice across the three days of racing, beating teammate Charles Leclerc and the Red Bull of led Max Verstappen before the sprint qualifying on Friday afternoon.

With all teams except Ferrari and Williams carrying out upgrades in Austin – as Formula 1 resumed racing after a three-week break – there was plenty of action from the moment the green light flashed at the end of the pitlane, as the drivers did tried to register their cars for the sprint qualifying and the sprint on Saturday.

Mercedes – which received what Andrew Shovlin, the team's head of track engineering, called “the biggest update of the year” – initially attracted attention, but for all the wrong reasons, with first Lewis Hamilton and then George Russell suffering dramatic retirements. appeared Circuit of The Americas track.

While the majority of teams favored the hard tire for the majority of the race, with ten minutes left many teams switched to soft tires to test their one-lap speed – with Sainz stopping the clocks with a 1m33.602s to Leclerc in the non-upgraded Ferrari by just 0.021 seconds.

Max Verstappen finished third in his upgraded Red Bull RB20, albeit two and a half tenths behind the Ferraris, while his main title rival Lando Norris was fourth after waiting until the final moments of the session to make his lap.