Leclerc Leads Austin Practice With Three Teams in the Fight
The first free practice had Leclerc as the protagonist. The Ferrari driver set a time of 1:36.052 and finished ahead of Verstappen, who was 0.084 seconds behind, and Lando Norris, third at 0.245. George Russell was fourth and Antonelli completed the top five positions, in a session that left the main teams very close to each other. Ferrari began the weekend with aerodynamic novelties in the floor, the sidepods and the diffuser. The improvements are part of the team's work to find a more consistent performance and reduce the differences with respect to its main rivals. At least in the first contact with the circuit, Leclerc managed to find a good balance and placed the Italian car at the top of the table. Verstappen, for his part, also showed a competitive pace. The Dutchman had recorded a lap of 1:35.860, enough to beat Leclerc, but the time was deleted for exceeding track limits at…
