United States Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Charles Leclerc catches up on his delay

If spectators present at the Circuit of the Americas were expecting to see a bit more action during this second practice session, they may have been disappointed. It was a rather quiet session where the drivers sought to push the limits of the track. The real spectacle took place in the paddock with a few stars such as Brad Pitt and Jerry Bruckheimer. However, the drivers were still able to test the Pirelli 2023 tires.

Under the radiant sun of Austin, all drivers except Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas, and Daniel Ricciardo drove with the new tires. It should be noted that these three drivers had stepped aside for rookies and Antonio Giovinazzi during the first session. The classification could be divided into two parts: one for the “laggers” and the second for the testers.

Lewis Hamilton hits the kerb HARD 😳

He makes a save and continues on, but that was close! 😯#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/8o0U0OlLbi

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 21, 2022

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in 1’36.810, ahead of Valtteri Bottas (+0.715s) and Daniel Ricciardo (+0.817s). And the fastest with the 2023 Pirelli tires was Carlos Sainz, followed by Mick Schumacher and Lando Norris. On the other hand, Max Verstappen positioned himself in 7th place. With such performance gaps, it was unnecessary to consider the ranking of this session for Sunday’s race.

The Pirelli tires tested in 2023.

Cancelled due to rain in Suzuka, the Pirelli 2023 tires could finally be tested during this second free practice session. Instead of driving for an hour, the drivers had the opportunity to take to the track for an extra thirty minutes to gather as much race pace data as possible for Pirelli. It should be noted that teams and drivers hope that these tires will be improved to provide better grip and reduce understeer.

The ranking of the second practice session.