P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The competitive picture took an inevitable back seat to organisational matters on a bound-to-be-infamous first day of running at the Las Vegas Grand Prix – but who actually looked fast?
During the practice sessions at the Las Vegas track, it became clear that the Ferrari was the fastest car over a single lap, although the margin was small compared to Red Bull and Mercedes. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc both had impressive performances, with Leclerc setting a great lap time late in the session. Fernando Alonso also showed strength in his Aston Martin, but it may have been slightly flattered by the conditions. The lap times were somewhat skewed due to different tire runs and wing levels, making it difficult to accurately assess the performance of each team. McLaren struggled with cooling issues and did not show great pace. Tire degradation appeared to be low, with a one-stop strategy using the soft and medium tires expected to be the preferred approach. However, managing graining could be a challenge, potentially leading to multiple pit stops.
