P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes’ impressive start to Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend continued with Lewis Hamilton completing a clean sweep of the Thursday night practice sessions
Mercedes continued their strong performance in the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend with Lewis Hamilton leading both Thursday night practice sessions. Hamilton improved his FP1 time by 1.2 seconds to top FP2 with a 1m33.825s lap, narrowly beating McLaren’s Lando Norris and George Russell. McLaren CEO Zak Brown noted the impressive pace of Mercedes and expects them to be strong contenders for pole position, their first since Silverstone. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Red Bull faced challenges, finishing 17th and 19th due to issues with soft tire laps and a red flag incident involving Alex Albon. Verstappen has a chance to secure the 2024 F1 drivers’ championship by outperforming Norris on Saturday. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, along with others, rounded up the top positions in the practice session. Albon encountered technical problems, ending his FP2 session prematurely and presenting challenges for Williams ahead of Friday’s track activities.
