There is a lot of uncertainty among the top drivers following the practice sessions in Las Vegas. A majorly-interrupted session left teams with more questions than answers.

After a fairly uneventful first free practice, which was topped by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc while Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda finished inside the top four, the second practice session was messy. Due to a loose manhole cover, there was a red flag as the session was halted and the break in running meant drivers and teams were unable to lay down a marker.

Many stayed in the garage for a long time, waiting for other drivers to clear dust and water off the track. All the drivers went out first on the mediums, on which Leclerc proved fastest. Gaps were small, however, with Lando Norris, George Russell, and Max Verstappen within four tenths.

When the mediums were swapped for the soft tyre, things went wrong, leaving teams baffled. Norris and Kimi Antonelli set quicker laps on the softs, but none of the frontrunners improved their times. Leclerc did complete a full lap on the softs, but couldn’t match his own time on the mediums.

The Red Bull drivers, as well as Russell, failed to set a time on the softs. After the long red flag for the manhole cover, the session resumed, but only briefly. The cover turned out to still be too loose, leading to the session being abandoned.

Afterwards, the drivers expected to fight for the win were uncertain about the true pace. Verstappen was happy with the balance, but didn’t know where he stood after the first day in Las Vegas. No push run and no long run leave him and his team with little data for the rest of the weekend.

Tsunoda felt the same as his teammate after practice. He too felt the balance was better, and the Japanese driver even suggested the pace would be there. Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, confirmed that notion.

Russell, last year’s winner in Las Vegas, questioned whether his car is still as good as it was in 2024. Over the 2025 season as a whole, across various circuits, the Mercedes has been considerably better than its predecessor. Russell and Antonelli, however, fear that Mercedes has lost out on tracks and in conditions like those in Las Vegas.

The most satisfied team were McLaren. They had struggled so much in Las Vegas in recent years, and often had trouble this season in the cold and on low-downforce circuits, returned from the opening practice sessions in remarkably good spirits.

Norris said the car was much better in Las Vegas than in previous years. The Brit topped second practice, which gave him confidence. Oscar Piastri didn’t manage to set a quick time on the softs, but he too felt the car performed much better on the Strip.

There is therefore a lot of uncertainty after Friday in Las Vegas. Whereas qualifying simulations and especially long runs usually give a clear picture of the pecking order for the rest of the weekend, no one really knows where they stand. McLaren’s confidence is evident, but that could also be a premature conclusion after the distorted sessions we’ve had.