@Max33Verstappen pips #Vettel in #UnitedStatesGP FP1. #F1 #USGP

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen pipped Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to end Free Practice 1 fastest at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Verstappen posted the benchmark of a 1:34.057 on the red side-walled C4 soft compounds and was 0.169 seconds quicker than Vettel with Red Bull team-mate Alexander Albon completing the top three.

Red Bull showed promising pace throughout the 90 minute session with Albon quickest at the midway point on a 1:35.282 before the times started tumbling as the track improved and teams put on the softs.

After running Pirelli’s 2020 prototype compound, Verstappen used a set of mediums and then soft rubber to set this best effort at the United States GP.

Vettel’s own soft run saw the German set a 1:34.236 whilst Albon posted a 1:34.336.

As neither Mercedes or Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put in a better effort, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly finished opening practice in a high of fourth place and just under a second adrift of Verstappen’s benchmark.

Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo was fifth and slightly quicker than Haas F1 Team’s sixth-placed Romain Grosjean and 1.7 seconds clear than the aforementioned Leclerc.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who has regular race engineer Peter Bonnington back by his side this weekend in Texas, wound up a few hundredths off of Leclerc in eighth.

The Briton who is on the verge of his sixth world title, jumped into the top ten later on after a close call on ending the session in a low 18th.

Racing Point’s Lance Stroll took ninth and in-front of Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen who rounded out the top ten with the latter 1.602 seconds off of Verstappen’s United States GP FP1 benchmark.

Several drivers complained of the bumpy surface around the Circuit of the Americas and a jump at turn nine, where there was a mix of resurfacing and other parts left alone and deteriorating.

The other Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat ended opening practice outside the top 10 in 11th place and ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz who was 12th.

Sainz suffered a massive spin at the esses after losing the rear of his Renault-powered MCL34 racer on the bumpy entry to the corner, whilst many rivals ran wide and had their lap times deleted due to exceeding track limits.

Alfa Romeo Racing’s Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi were 13th and 15th respectively with Racing Point’s Sergio Perez splitting the duo in-between taking 14th.

Perez was stuck behind the aforementioned Magnussen whilst on his flyer reporting the latter was doing ‘the usual’.

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg finished opening practice in 16th and in-front of Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas who took 17th and McLaren’s Lando Norris who was 18th with the latter’s improved effort deleted by exceeding track limits.

The two ROKiT Williams Racing FW42’s of Robert Kubica and Nicholas Latifi finished at the rear.

You can see the full Formula 1 Emirates United States Grand Prix Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the following link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2019/races/1018/united-states/practice-1.html

You can also read F1 Newsbites – 2021 Rules and Regulations Special Edition as well as catch up on this weekend’s race preview at the following links:

#F1 Newsbites – 2021 Rules & Regulations Edition. #F12021 @F1

@F1 @Emirates #UnitedStatesGP 2019 Preview – #USGP #F1 @COTA