Hamilton tops final practice, Verstappen second at United States Grand Prix
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 24, 2026
Final-practice order
Lewis Hamilton set the pace in final practice for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, turning a lap of 1:34.893 to put his Mercedes on top before qualifying. Max Verstappen followed in second, 0.168 seconds back, and Charles Leclerc was third at 0.234. Kimi Antonelli took fourth and George Russell was fifth, giving Mercedes two cars in the top five. Oscar Piastri landed sixth, Nico Hülkenberg was seventh and Lando Norris finished eighth.
Hamilton was the only driver to get under the 1-minute, 35-second mark in the session, which gave his lap a clear edge in a field that stayed tight from front to back. Track limits kept interrupting the hour and took away several quick laps, including strong efforts from Leclerc, Antonelli and Norris. That made the final order look even more compressed than the times suggested. The session also showed how little room there is between the leading teams at Austin. Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren all looked close enough to fight for pole position, and the margin among the top runners left little separation heading into qualifying, which was set to begin at 4 p.m. local time.
Ferrari sweeps practice
Ferrari left the practice day with the clearest momentum after Charles Leclerc topped both earlier sessions at Circuit of the Americas, giving the team a full sweep of the weekend’s practice running. In the first session, Leclerc posted a 1:36.052 and finished 0.084 seconds ahead of Verstappen. In the second, he improved to 1:35.291 and edged Antonelli by 0.042 seconds. That made Ferrari the only team to sit at the front in every practice session, and it put Leclerc in the middle of the conversation for pole even before Hamilton’s late surge in final practice.
The sweep also highlighted how well Ferrari has started the weekend with its updated package. The team brought changes to the floor, sidepod inlet and diffuser, and the results showed up on the timing screens across the first two sessions. Leclerc carried the load for Ferrari at the front, but the consistency of the two practice wins told the bigger story. The car looked competitive over a range of conditions, and Ferrari left the day with strong evidence that its changes are working at a demanding circuit that punishes mistakes and rewards balance. The team’s pace across all three sessions also added to the sense that the fight for pole would come down to the smallest details once the field switched to qualifying trim.
Upgrades shape pole fight
Mercedes also arrived in Austin with updates, and Antonelli said the car felt better in the second practice session, a sign that the team made progress before final practice. That improvement showed up again with both Mercedes cars near the front in the last session, as Antonelli finished fourth and Russell placed fifth. The team stayed in the mix throughout the day and kept itself within reach of the top spot, which is where Mercedes wanted to be after bringing new parts to the weekend. Hamilton’s final-practice lap then gave the team a statement result right before the grid moved into qualifying.
Red Bull and McLaren also stayed within striking distance, and Verstappen’s second-place run in final practice kept him right in the fight after he was only 0.084 seconds behind Leclerc in the first session. Norris and Piastri both found speed, even with laps deleted for track limits, and that left McLaren with enough pace to stay in the pole conversation. The same was true for Red Bull and Mercedes, with each team showing enough speed to suggest qualifying could go in several directions. Ferrari’s updates gave it the broadest practice success, Mercedes showed clear progress, and Hamilton’s final lap sharpened the picture. With four teams close enough to contend, the session order pointed to a qualifying fight decided by small gains, clean laps and track position more than by any single dominant car.
