Red Bull and Ferrari on top to start weekend as Merc opt against revealing pace; Hamilton 8th, Bottas 17th after testing 2020 tyres
Friday 1 November 2019 19:53, UK
Max Verstappen set the pace ahead of Sebastian Vettel in first practice for the United States GP as Red Bull and Ferrari started fast, with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes well down on the timesheets.
Hamilton finished P1 in eighth - which is coincidentally the position he requires to clinch a sixth F1 title in Sunday's race - and 1.3s down on Verstappen as he completed most of his running on 2020 prototype tyres.
Verstappen, on softs, was a tenth faster than Vettel to start the weekend, with Albon just behind in the sister Red Bull in third.
Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo and Romain Grosjean all finished in the top six in a slightly skewed session due to the testing of those 2020 tyres, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc seventh.
Valtteri Bottas, who needs to win this weekend to have any chance of denying Hamilton an early coronation in Austin, was only 17th as Mercedes opted against showing their hand.
Red Bull ahead in cold, bumpy Austin
Practice One was also compromised by chilly conditions - making it easily the coldest session of the year - and a bumpy COTA track.
Hamilton said that he didn't think the circuit was "safe" at the start of the session on team radio and later called it the "bumpiest track in the world".
In the end, Hamilton completed 27 of his 32 laps on prototype tyres, which left him only ahead of the Williams until the closing stages. In his five laps on fresh softs, Hamilton's best effort put him fourth, 0.9s off Verstappen, but it was deleted for exceeding track limits. He eventually finished below a handful of midfield runners.
The Red Bulls in particular looked sublime around the sweeping circuit while neither Mercedes driver looked at ease in Austin - although that was the case at this stage last week in Mexico and the Silver Arrows went on to take another race victory.
Toro Rosso, Renault and Haas will be happy with their early work, with all three teams finishing with one car in the top six, as the P1 timesheets provided what they hope is a glimpse into the future following the 2021 rules reveal.
Lando Norris was only 18th for McLaren, while Carlos Sainz criticised the 2020 tyres as he ended the session in 12th.
But neither had as frustrating a session as Nicholas Latifi, with the Williams reserve - replacing George Russell in P1 - limited to seven laps thanks to a gearbox issue.
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