The Ferrari team lit up the Las Vegas night as the SF-25 showed impressive pace in the opening Free Practice session. After a week off, the F1 circus moves to Nevada for the first round of the triple-header that will close the 2025 season. The Drivers’ Championship remains wide open: Lando Norris is the favorite for the title, with Oscar Piastri looking to strike back along the famous Strip, while Max Verstappen continues to play the role of formidable outsider.
Slippery track sets high lap times in the opening 20 minutes
The session began with teams completing several adaptation laps on medium tires. For comparison, in 2024, the fastest time in the opening Free Practice session was set by Lewis Hamilton with a 1:35.001. The Las Vegas circuit is a true street track that is not used for other competitions during the year. This means the asphalt evolves significantly throughout the session, gradually offering more grip to the drivers.
Ferrari started strongly with Charles Leclerc, who initially lapped in 1:41 before improving to 1:39, still far from optimal lap times. After the first ten minutes, the top time was still contested by nearly all drivers, from Pierre Gasly to Carlos Sainz, hovering around 1:37. On such a slippery track, teams avoided pushing for outright performance, also to prevent early visits to the barriers.
Red flash in Las Vegas: Leclerc vs Verstappen
The first competitive lap came from Charles Leclerc, who set a 1:35.954 on his eleventh tour on the same set of medium tires. With 37 minutes remaining, both Ferrari cars returned to the garage to make setup adjustments on the SF-25. On track, Max Verstappen then took the lead, beating Leclerc with a 1:35.776.
On the Pirelli yellow medium tires, no significant graining was recorded during these initial stints. Among the top teams, McLaren struggled early on: Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were unable to match the pace of their rivals, facing clear difficulties in tire management. Meanwhile, the first soft tires began appearing on track.
Ferrari soon regained the top of the provisional standings: initially, Lewis Hamilton led ahead of Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque stopping the clock at 1:35.281. Leclerc improved further in subsequent laps, reaching 1:35.121, demonstrating the strong form of the SF-25 in Las Vegas. Max Verstappen then reclaimed the top spot with a 1:35.109.
McLaren struggles as the championship battle remains open
In the closing phase of the session, Yuki Tsunoda put the second Red Bull at the top with a 1:35.071. However, Charles Leclerc once again broke through, returning to the top with a 1:34.802. McLaren continued to struggle, with both drivers making errors and unable to find the correct rhythm on a flying lap. Alexander Albon also made a mark, finishing second just two-tenths behind Ferrari with seven minutes remaining.
As braking issues persisted for the MCL39—both drivers running long into corners—Williams managed to slot between the two Red Bulls, with Carlos Sainz behind Max Verstappen in fifth position. It is impossible to draw definitive conclusions after an exploratory session like this. The only certainty is that the SF-25 has started the weekend well, possibly aided by a slightly higher downforce setup compared to rivals, which can be adjusted in the upcoming sessions.
Final results from the first free practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix:
1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m34.802s
2 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.166s
3 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.269s
4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.307s
5 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.377s
6 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.456s
7 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.497s
8 Oscar Piastr (McLaren) +0.648s
9 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.732s
10 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.736s
11 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.759s
12 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.787s
13 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.907s
14 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.944s
15 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1.092s
16 Ollie Bearman (Haas) 1.188s
17 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1.321s
18 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +1.368s
19 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1.596s
20 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.956s
Leave a Reply