The Las Vegas lights illuminated not just the famed Strip but also the world of Formula 1, with the second free practice session delivering drama, pace evolution, and a dash of unpredictability synonymous with Sin City. As the teams and drivers regrouped after a disrupted opening hour, Friday night’s session offered a clearer picture of who may have the upper hand ahead of qualifying.
In an astonishing demonstration of both raw speed and adaptability, McLaren’s Lando Norris clocked the fastest lap by capitalizing on consistent run plans and sharp response to the circuit’s low-grip conditions. After a stop-start Thursday, Norris’s performance wasn’t just about headline speed; it was underlined by smart tyre management and track positioning, signaling McLaren’s ongoing upward trajectory in street circuit pace.
Stealing much of the attention, however, was 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Standing in last-minute for an ill teammate, the Italian rookie not only held his own but stunned the paddock by securing the second fastest time of the session in only his second official Grand Prix weekend appearance. The Mercedes junior’s composure, smooth handling, and ability to process data input on the fly underscored why he is already touted as a star of the future and why top teams are watching his development with great interest.
Charles Leclerc, never one to shy from a challenge, brought Ferrari to the sharp end in third, stringing together purple sectors in the closing minutes. Despite a few hiccups in his opening run, the Monegasque showed deft car control and a masterful reading of the circuit’s constantly changing surface. Leclerc’s confidence around the Las Vegas bends is a sign that Ferrari may just have found the fine balance necessary to challenge for pole, especially crucial given the track’s unique sequence of high-speed straights and tight corners.
Further down the order, title leader Max Verstappen endured a tricky evening. Though Red Bull’s RB20 was expected to thrive here, Verstappen faced oversteer in several slow-speed complexes and struggled with tyre temperature, a problem exacerbated by the desert night’s plummeting temperatures. Nevertheless, Verstappen’s long-run simulation appeared competitive, suggesting he is very much a threat come Sunday’s race. Sergio Pérez, his Red Bull teammate, focused on data collection after missing crucial setup time in the earlier disrupted session.
Not to go unnoticed, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso showed flashes of brilliance as he pushed the team’s latest aero package to its limit, outpacing both Mercedes drivers, who, despite Antonelli's heroics, seemed to be on divergent run plans and fuel loads – a factor not uncommon after a curtailed initial practice. Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton emphasized set-up experimentation, prioritizing data over outright speed, hinting at more to come as conditions stabilize during the weekend.
The session was not without incident: traffic caused headaches for several drivers, notably Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg, with yellow flags punctuating flying laps. As the grip improved late in the session thanks to increased rubbering-in, lap times tumbled and the field compressed dramatically, with just over a second separating the top ten. This bodes well for a closely-fought qualifying session, where track evolution and tyre warm-up will be just as important as outright power.
Las Vegas’ return to the Formula 1 calendar is already proving a unique engineering and sporting challenge: ultra-low temperatures, atypical street surface, and the glitz of a night race make for a heady cocktail. As fans flock to the stands amid the neon glow, all eyes are now on whether Norris, Antonelli, or Leclerc can convert Friday night promise into Saturday glory. With the top teams still holding back, and traffic set to play a major role, the pole battle remains delightfully unpredictable. The stakes in Vegas, as always, couldn’t be higher.
