2022 US Grand Prix FP2 report and highlights: Leclerc tops second extended practice session in Austin as drivers test 2023 tires

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in FP2 for the 2022 United States Grand Prix – this session increased from 60 to 90 minutes for the 2023 Pirelli tire test prototype.

Leclerc clocked 1m 36.810s during an early period on the 2022-spectrum medium tire, having been allowed to run his own program at the start of the session after sitting out FP1.

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With the weather hot and sunny at the Circuit of The Americas, it was an ideal session for Pirelli to gather representative data on their working compounds ahead of planned post-season testing for the definitive versions in Abu Dhabi.

Along with Leclerc and Ferrari, several other drivers and teams made customized programs for part of FP2 before focusing on tire testing, while McLaren, Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas also made concessions to run rookie drivers in FP1.

Indeed, FP2 was the first rounds of the weekend for Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Nicholas Latifi and Kevin Magnussen – the latter looking to recover lost mileage at Haas after Antonio Giovinazzi’s accident in the open session.

Behind Leclerc, Bottas and Ricciardo used the soft 2022-spec compound en route to P2 and P3 for Alfa Romeo and McLaren respectively, the pair finishing more than seven tenths away from the Monegasque benchmark.

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FP1 pacesetter Carlos Sainz The pack of drivers was limited to prescribed runs (including set distance and fuel loads) on the unmarked Pirelli tyres, finishing around 1.5s adrift, with Mick Schumacher completing the top five for Haas.

Lando Norris took sixth in the other McLaren, narrowly avoiding the wall after a wild slide at the pit entry, followed by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton.

AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez were the final drivers to slip under the 1m 40s barrier in ninth and 10th respectively, with the aforementioned Magnussen in 11th in his repaired VF-22.

George Russell was almost a second down on team-mate Hamilton in 13th, splitting the other AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo machines of Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll dropping from P4 in FP1 to P15 in FP2.

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Alpine team-mates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finished 16th and 17th, the team’s only moment of drama when Alonso got stuck behind an early running Hamilton and wailed on the radio that not “no mirrors at his rival today”.

Behind him, Williams drivers Alex Albon and Latifi appointed Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin – the field covered in 5.5 seconds around the 5.513km Austin venue.

Free Practice 3 starts at 1400 local time on Saturday before qualifying at 1700. Go to the RACE HUB see how and when you can catch the action from Austin.

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