Portugal Colonial - Leclerc tops times for Ferrari in opening practice for US Grand Prix

Antonelli could clinch the drivers’ title this weekend if he wins and other drivers are unable to stay within reach of his points total.

Father-to-be Leclerc clocked a best lap time of one minute and 36.052 seconds to beat Verstappen, winner of the last two races, by 0.084 seconds with world champion Lando Norris third for McLaren, adrift by two-tenths.

George Russell, who is 102 points behind Antonelli in the drivers’ title race, was fourth for Mercedes, ahead of the 20-year-old Italian, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari.

Oscar Piastri was seventh in the second McLaren ahead of Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls’ rookie Arvid Lindblad, who has a five-place grid penalty, and his team-mate Liam Lawson.

The session began with a big crowd basking in warm sunshine and several teams sporting their final upgrade packages, including Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, but the focus was on Antonelli and his title bid.

Without a win in three races since the Spanish Grand Prix, he requires a victory on Sunday and disappointing results for Russell and Hamilton, below eighth and fourth respectively, to become the youngest champion and Italy’s first since Alberto Ascari, for Ferrari, in 1953.

Haas, one of two American teams on the grid, were among the early runners on track with a special livery for their home event and following news that Brazilian driver Rafael Camara is set to join, as a probable replacement for Esteban Ocon, in 2027.

Cadillac, the second home team in their debut season, also had an upgrades package in a bid to escape the back row seats, and showed potential in the early stages with Valtteri Bottas up to 16th.

By then, Verstappen’s preliminary fastest lap on hard tyres had been overhauled by Leclerc on mediums. The Monegasque driver, whose wife Alexandra Saint Mleux, is expecting their first child, appeared to be in the mood as he clocked 1:36.761 ahead of team-mate Hamilton by 0.074.

Leclerc switched to softs after half an hour and trimmed his lap to 1:36.052, enough to resist a rapid Verstappen lap on softs by 0.084 with Norris third ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton, who survived a slide at Turn One. Russell was sixth.

The track, declared as unacceptably bumpy by Verstappen and Norris, was clearly ‘rubbering in’ as Verstappen went top before the lap was scratched for exceeding track limits.

It was proof nonetheless that he was in the mix and ahead of both Mercedes – a position that makes it unlikely Antonelli will find it easy to achieve his goal this Sunday.

A.P.Maia--PC