Lewis Hamilton topped both free practice sessions, with the British driver aiming for his third win of the season.
The standout figure on Thursday in Las Vegas was undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion finished in first place in both sessions, showing strong form both on single-lap pace and race pace. These are feelings the British driver hasn’t experienced in a while.
It’s a completely different Mercedes compared to the last few races, thanks to the low temperatures that are allowing both drivers to quickly find the optimal tire operating window. As mentioned, it was Lewis Hamilton who came out on top, securing first place in both of the opening sessions.
Sir Lewis then commented on the day to the press, saying: “I feel good. It’s the first time in 2024 that I’ve had such a positive day like this. The car worked really well in Free Practice 1, but in the second session, it was a bit less, so there will be work to do overnight. It’s hard to know exactly where we stand compared to the others, but I enjoyed driving here. We’ll see if the car is as competitive tomorrow.”
The Mercedes driver added: “The warm conditions are a bit more difficult for us, and the race pace wasn’t exceptional, so we’ll have to work on improving it without compromising single-lap speed. It was nice to be able to put together consecutive optimal sectors without the car bouncing around too much.”
Photo: X Mercedes AMG F1