Clearly. Dry. Air +32…34С, highway +38…41С
In 2023, the Austin round was held in a sprint format on Saturday, meaning there was only one training session. It took an hour to find the optimal settings on a hot, bumpy surface under a cloudless sky – the track wasn’t empty and there were plenty of spectators in the stands.
Daniel Ricciardo has returned to AlphaTauri. After replacing the fired Nick de Vries in Hungary, he only completed two stages and suffered a hand injury in Zandvoort. The Australian missed five races – he was replaced by Liam Lawson, but got back behind the wheel in Austin.
Haas F1 brought a seriously modified car to the home stage in the hope of evaluating decisions for next season. Mercedes tested a new underbody and AlphaTauri also prepared new items.
Pirelli once again brought the three ‘medium’ compounds to the podium – C2, C3 and C4, labeled Hard, Medium and Soft. In the first half of the session the riders worked with Medium and Hard, later switching to Soft.
At the start of the session, Sainz and Norris almost collided. Ocon, Verstappen, Sainz and Hamilton drove off the track. Stroll’s brakes overheated and he returned to the pits, handed the car to the mechanics – and never drove away again. Alonso also complained of overheating, but stayed on the track.
Albon’s car spun under braking in Turn 12, but then he continued. In the 35th minute, Piastri went into the gravel at turn nine, but managed to catch the car.
Max Verstappen set the best time and completed a lap in 1:35.912. Qualifying for Sunday’s race will take place in just two and a half hours.
Session results
| Pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35,912 | – | 23 |
| 2. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36,068 | +0.156 | 25 |
| 3. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:36,193 | +0.281 | 23 |
| 4. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:36.212 | +0.300 | 23 |
| 5. K. Magnussen | Hare | 1:36,472 | +0.560 | 21 |
| 6. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:36,474 | +0.562 | 25 |
| 7. A. Elbon | Williams | 1:36,492 | +0.580 | 21 |
| 8. K.Sainz | Ferrari | 1:36,533 | +0.621 | 24 |
| 9. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 1:36,702 | +0.790 | 21 |
| 10. P. Gasly | Alps | 1:36,705 | +0.793 | 22 |
| 11. L. Sargent | Williams | 1:36,987 | +1,075 | 26 |
| 12. E. Okon | Alps | 1:37,066 | +1,154 | 22 |
| 13. Yu.Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:37.104 | +1,192 | 25 |
| 14. D. Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:37.152 | +1,240 | 24 |
| 15. L.Norris | McLaren | 1:37,256 | +1,344 | 21 |
| 16. G.Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:37,418 | +1,506 | 25 |
| 17. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:37,517 | +1,605 | 24 |
| 18. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:37,840 | +1,928 | 19 |
| 19. O. Piastri | McLaren | 1:38,420 | +2,508 | 22 |
| 20. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:39,940 | +4,028 | 5 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
