Hamilton responds in EL2 in Austin

The Mercedes driver ends the opening day with the first time benchmark of the American weekend in 1'33''232.

Published on 01/11/2019 à 22:35

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After a Free Practice 1 session spent studying the behavior of the 2020 tires, Lewis Hamilton resumes its usual program in the afternoon on the Circuit of the Americas and ideally launches the weekend which should (must?) allow it to claim a 6th world crown.

The British Mercedes indeed signs the best time in Free Practice 2 on a track that is still just as bumpy and temperatures are a bit milder than this morning (16°C in the air, 24°C on the track). Hamilton pushes back his closest pursuer, Charles Leclerc, more than three tenths ahead of the best of the Ferrari. Author of the reference time this morning in EL1, Max Verstappen confirms his good disposition with the 3rd time for Red Bull, only 14 thousandths behind its Monegasque rival.

Sebastian Vettel, who spun at the end of the session, was 0''658 from the top of the timesheet aboard the second Ferrari. The German precedes the Mercedes Valtteri Bottas, discreet since the start of the weekend, and the rookie's Red Bull Alexander albon.

New evidentiary session for Pierre Gasly, the Frenchman of Toro Rosso landing the honorary place of best of the others with 7th position. The Normand is ahead of his former teammate Carlos Sainz on McLaren, While Lance stroll takes 9th place for the second session in a row. Antonio Giovinazzi, whose future in F1 beyond the current season, completes the Top 10 for Alfa Romeo.

In the second half of the table we find the Renault de Daniel Ricciardo et Nico Hulkenberg, in 11th and 13th position respectively. Still on the tricolor side, disappointment for Romain Grosjean, victim of a track excursion in the Esses which damaged the front axle of his Haas VF-19 early in the session.

The Frenchman only completes 4 short laps to only get ahead of the poor Williams. Note, his teammate Kevin Magnussen did little better with the 17th fastest time in 28 covered laps, three tenths ahead of Grosjean. At the back of the grid, we feel that the end of the season cannot come soon enough...