Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest time in the first free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, edging out his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
The seven-time world champion, who had a disappointing 10th-place finish in Sao Paulo, described the race weekend as “catastrophic,” admitting it had been the toughest for his car to date.
Hamilton posted a time of 1:35.001, 0.396 seconds ahead of Russell and 0.953 seconds faster than McLaren’s Lando Norris, as the drivers faced slippery and cold conditions in the Nevada desert.
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion from Red Bull and winner of last year’s race, finished in fifth place, 1.037 seconds off Hamilton’s pace.
Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty after exceeding the allowed limit for energy unit components, following the use of a new power unit during the session.
This year’s first practice session marked a much more successful start compared to last year’s, which was cut short after just eight minutes due to a significant crash involving Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who damaged his car on a loose manhole cover.
