COTA Practice: Ferrari and Mercedes Lead a Razor-Thin Field

Charles Leclerc paced both Friday practice sessions at the Circuit of The Americas, but the gap to the field remains razor-thin. With Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli showing top-tier speed, the early benchmarks suggest a high-stakes qualifying battle for the 2026 United States Grand Prix.

Why it matters:

COTA is notorious for its punishing bumps and complex cornering, making chassis balance the defining factor of the weekend. The marginal differences between the top four teams indicate that minor setup adjustments overnight could completely reshape the starting grid.

The details:

• Ferrari's Divide: While Leclerc dominated FP1 and FP2, Lewis Hamilton struggled with car comfort and stability over the bumps, leaving him searching for the same rhythm as his teammate.
• Mercedes' Momentum: Kimi Antonelli surged to P2 in FP2, validating the team's recent update package. George Russell also showed improvement after a rocky FP1 plagued by brake issues.
• Red Bull's Consistency: Max Verstappen remains a pole favorite (P2/P3), though the team is still fine-tuning the compromise between low and high-speed corners. Isack Hadjar struggled significantly with soft tire temperatures.
• McLaren's Struggle: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri showed flashes of pace but lacked consistency, with both drivers reporting grip issues and understeer.
• Midfield Shifts: Haas’s Ollie Bearman looked impressive in P10, suggesting their upgrade direction is paying off. Meanwhile, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto showed speed but faces a back-of-the-grid start due to power unit changes.

What's next:

As the paddock moves into FP3, the focus shifts to tire degradation and track limit precision. Pirelli expects a one-stop race strategy, meaning teams must balance raw qualifying speed with a setup that preserves the rear tires through Sector 1's high-speed sweeps.