United States Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Valtteri Bottas takes the lead

The first 20 minutes

The drivers had barely taken to the track when the red flag was already deployed on the Austin circuit. Fernando Alonso’s Alpine had to stop due to a mechanical failure (likely a hydraulic system issue).

Not a good start to the session for Fernando Alonso, his Alpine comes to a halt

He hitches a ride back to the garage 🛵#USGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Z1SYsa4f1r

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 22, 2021

After the evacuation of Alpine number 14, the 19 other drivers were able to take to the track and practice on this Austin circuit. A bumpy track that tests the drivers and their single-seaters. Bumps that surely surprised Charles Leclerc, who made a mistake with his Ferrari.

After twenty minutes of driving, Lewis Hamilton was leading the standings with a time of 1:36.812 followed by Max Verstappen (+ 0.220) and Valtteri Bottas (+ 0.660), all equipped with soft (red) tires.

At midday

During this session, we learned that Valtteri Bottas was using a new engine unit, the sixth of the season! The Finnish driver will start with a 5-place grid penalty next Sunday. The Mercedes team seems concerned about the reliability of their engine, or could it be a bluff? Sebastian Vettel and George Russell will also be penalized on Sunday for changing parts on their engines.

UPDATE: @ValtteriBottas has taken his sixth Internal Combustion Engine of the season and will take a five-place grid penalty for the #USGP. pic.twitter.com/GRQEibEFEp

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 22, 2021

During this testing session, the drivers were able to realize how difficult it is to attack on a full lap, oversteer will be very prominent this weekend due to the high temperatures in Texas (a lot of wear on the rear tires of Red Bull).

With twenty minutes remaining in the session, Lewis Hamilton still led the standings with a time of 1:35.096, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.953) and the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (+1.505) and Carlos Sainz (+1.578) on red tires.

The last 20 minutes

Fernando Alonso was able to return to the track after his mechanics repaired his car, the Spaniard only lost a good half hour in this first session.

It should be noted that Alfa Romeo is in 9th and 10th place in the timing classification, a slight increase in performance for the Swiss team, a team that could become American if the Andretti Autosport brand confirms its intention to buy.

After an hour of driving, Valtteri Bottas takes the checkered flag with the best time of 1:34.874 followed by his teammate Hamilton (+0.045) and Max Verstappen (+0.932).

See you at 9:50 p.m. for the second free practice session!

Timing ranking