Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the FP2 for the 2022 US Grand Prix – this session spanned from 60 to 90 minutes to test the Pirelli prototype 2023 tire.
Leclerc clocked 1m 36.810secs during an early period on the 2022-spec middle frame, having been allowed to run his own program at the start of the session after sitting outside FP1.
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With hot and sunny conditions at the Circuit of the Americas, it proved to be the perfect session for Pirelli to gather representative data on its vehicles in action before a planned post-season test for the final versions in Abu Dhabi.
Besides Leclerc and Ferrari, several other drivers and teams ran custom programs for part of FP2 before focusing on tire testing, with McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas also granted exemption from running FP1 rookie drivers.
|
1 Charles Leclerc LEC Ferrari |
1: 36.810 |
|
2 Valtri potash bot Alfa Romeo |
+ 0.715 seconds |
|
3 Daniel Ricardo rick McLaren |
+ 0.817 seconds |
|
4 Carlos Signs Supreme Authority for Financial Control and Accountability Ferrari |
+ 1.422 seconds |
|
5 make up Schumacher MSC Haas F1 Team |
+ 2.697 seconds |
Indeed, FP2 was the first laps of the weekend for Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Nicholas Latifi and Kevin Magnussen – the latter looking to regain the miles he lost at Haas. After the accident of Antonio Giovinazzi at the opening session.
Behind Leclerc, Bottas and Ricciardo took advantage of the 2022-spec soft compound en route to P2 and P3 for Alfa Romeo and McLaren respectively, with the pair finishing more than seven-tenths of the Monegasque benchmark.
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Speedmaster Carlos Sainz in FP1 He drove the group of drivers restricted to specific strokes (which included mission specific lengths and fuel loads) on unmarked Pirelli tires, and finished in about 1.5 seconds, with Mick Schumacher completing the top five for Haas.
Lando Norris finished sixth in the other McLaren, narrowly avoiding the wall after a runaway slip when entering the pit, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were the last drivers to go under the 1m 40s barrier in the ninth and tenth straight, with the aforementioned Magnussen ranking 11th in the overhauled VF-22.
George Russell was nearly behind teammate Hamilton in 13th, splitting the other AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo machines from Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll slipping from P4 in FP1 to P15 in FP2.
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His alpine teammates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finished 16th and 17th, the only dramatic moment for the upcoming team when Alonso stuck behind Hamilton in an early round and lamented over the radio that his rival “has no mirrors today”.
In the back, Williams drivers Alex Albon and Latifi booked Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin – the field covered in 5.5 seconds around the 5.513-kilometre Austin Stadium.
Free Practice 3 begins at 1400 local time on Saturday before qualifying at 1700. Head to Racing Center See how and when you can watch the action from Austin.
Who will score in the 2022 US Grand Prix? Choose your dream team before qualifying and take on the world to win huge prizes with the official Formula 1 Fantasy game. Register, join leagues and manage your team here.
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