LAS VEGAS.- The British Lando Norrisleader of Formula 1 World Cupcompleted the fastest lap of the second free practice of the Las Vegas Grand Prix (United States) on Thursday, which revived the chaos of two years ago with a double red flag.
The pilot of McLarenwho leads his Australian teammate by 24 points Oscar Piastriwas 0.029 seconds faster than the Italian Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), second classified, in night training in the capital of the game.
When there were still 20 minutes left in the session, the first red flag was raised on the urban circuit of the famous casino avenue.
The cars left the track due to the warning that a manhole cover could be loose.
On this occasion no accident was recorded, but the episode raised the specter of what happened in 2023, on the day of Formula 1’s return to the so-called “Sin City” after four decades of absence.
At that time, a manhole cover did jump, causing damage to the front of the Spaniard’s car. Carlos Sainz.
The incident led to the cancellation of the first round of testing and a revision of the layout that delayed the start of the second by two and a half hours.
This Thursday, the cars were authorized to return to the asphalt six minutes after the end of the session hour.
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who had set the best time in the first practice sessions, left the track in a curve after suffering a problem with the gearbox, before a second red flag appeared that ended the session early.
“We didn’t get much out of the second session because of the interruptions, but we had a slightly better feeling than the first,” said Norris, who was sixth in the opening stint.
“We made some good progress,” he said, noting that there remain “some positives to build on and some areas to try to improve for tomorrow.”
In Saturday’s Grand Prix, Norris cannot secure the world title, but he aims to widen the gap with Piastri and the Dutchman Max Verstappen to be crowned in the last stops in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
slippery terrain
Piastri, who finished in fourteenth place, 0.891s behind Norris, is under maximum pressure after he blew the 34-point lead he had at the end of August.
For his part, Verstappen, 49 points from the lead, is trying to keep his last comeback options alive.
The Red Bull star, winner of the last four World Championships, was ninth in the second session, 0.503s behind, after being fourth in the first turn.
“It’s much colder here and the surface is very slippery, so you can’t compare it to other tracks. It’s not a fact that you’re going to be fast here,” said ‘Mad Max’ about the night conditions of this Grand Prix.
Problems with adhesion to the asphalt arose from the first contact and many drivers skidded or failed to brake in some corners. Norris himself even hit a wall in an incident without consequences.
The Argentinian Franco Colapinto (Alpine), who finished 20th and last in the first practice, improved to 16th in the second.
The third and final round of rehearsals will be held on Friday at 4:30 p.m. local time (00:30 GMT on Saturday), before qualifying at 8:00 p.m. (04:00 GMT).
