After the scorching heat in Singapore, the drivers found little relief this weekend, with temperatures in Austin reaching around 30°C. As this was the only practice session of the weekend, all drivers headed out on track straight away. Everyone began on the white-marked hard tyres. Isack Hadjar was told over the radio to watch out for Bottas, though he quickly reminded his engineer that Valtteri Bottas was in Austin but not actually on the track.

Both Racing Bulls cars struggled to stay within the white lines and found the car difficult to control. Soon after, a red flag came out when a large piece of debris flew off Lance Stroll’s car in Turn 19. Because it landed in a dangerous spot, the session was stopped while marshals cleared the track. After a short delay, the action resumed.

Carlos Sainz was called back to the pits and told to drive slowly as his team spotted a gearbox problem. He did not return to the track. Esteban Ocon had a moment in Turn 11, running straight through the gravel even though his brake pedal was pressed to the floor.

Lewis Hamilton complained that his throttle pedal felt slippery, while Charles Leclerc reported that he could not shift into seventh gear and could smell oil. He returned to the pits and climbed out of his car, ending his session early. Isack Hadjar also mentioned issues with his power unit.

In the end, Lando Norris set the fastest time of the session with a 1:33.294, two tenths quicker than Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber. McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was third, followed by Fernando Alonso in fourth and Max Verstappen in fifth.

Alex Albon finished sixth, with George Russell in seventh and Lewis Hamilton in eighth. Hamilton had led the times earlier but still showed strong pace, especially since he did not use the soft tyres. Isack Hadjar took ninth place, and Oliver Bearman completed the top ten for Haas.