Charles Leclerc swept Friday at COTA, topping both practice sessions as Ferrari found speed on Austin's bumpy 5.5km layout. The Monegasque clocked a 1m35.291s in FP2, edging championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.042s, with Max Verstappen third, two tenths back.
The Circuit of the Americas lived up to its brutal reputation. The relentless first-sector Esses chewed through soft tyres while the final sector had cars bucking and sliding. McLaren paid the heaviest price — Lando Norris fought a bronco of a McLaren through the lap and wound up seventh, Oscar Piastri eighth, both a full second off Leclerc's benchmark.
Haas put Oliver Bearman P10, a solid result at the American outfit's home race. If Ferrari can carry this Friday pace through qualifying, Leclerc's got the platform to pressure Antonelli in Sunday's championship fight.
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