LAS VEGAS: Lewis Hamilton was fastest for Mercedes in Las Vegas Grand Prix practice on Thursday while Formula One leader Max Verstappen ended the night only 17th and said his Red Bull felt like driving on ice.
McLaren's Lando Norris, who can keep Verstappen waiting for a fourth successive title if he scores three points more than the Dutch driver on Saturday night, was second fastest in the second session.
Mercedes' George Russell completed a British one-two-three on the timesheets.
"It was really slippery on track today: I think we struggled to make the tyres work, especially over one lap, and we were quite far off with the pace," said Verstappen, who was two seconds off the pace but did not use the soft tyre.
"The issue for us is definitely tyre related as we have no grip and it feels like driving on ice."
Ferrari-bound seven-time world champion Hamilton had felt like walking away from Mercedes after the previous race in Sao Paulo, saying it had been the worst his car had ever been, but he was back with a bang.
The Briton topped the first practice timesheets in one minute 35.001 seconds, 0.396 seconds ahead of Russell and 0.953 quicker than Norris in cool conditions around the glitzy streets of the desert city.
Hamilton lapped in 1:33.825 in the second session, with Norris 0.011 slower and Russell 0.190 off the pace — all on softs.
"I felt really good out there today," said Hamilton. "I think that is the first practice day this year that we've been consistently strong, and the car has felt quick throughout.
"Despite topping both sessions, it is difficult to know exactly where we are in the competitive order with everyone running different fuel loads and run plans. Our long run pace didn't look quite as good as our speed on the single lap."
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was fourth fastest with team mate Charles Leclerc fifth and Alpine's Pierre Gasly sixth.
"It was not a great day for us and it seems to have been tricky for everyone else as well. We are not as strong as we expected to be coming into the weekend," commented Leclerc, who took pole last year.
Norris's Australian team mate Oscar Piastri was eighth for McLaren, who are fighting a tight constructors' battle with Ferrari.
Verstappen's under-fire Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was only 19th.
The second practice was red flagged when Alex Albon's Williams came to a halt. The Thai had been late out of the garage as his team dealt with a fuel system issue that then led to the breakdown.
Valtteri Bottas was handed a five-place grid penalty for exceeding the limit of power unit components after starting practice with a new energy store.
The opening practice along the transformed Las Vegas Strip was far more successful than last year when the session lasted a mere eight minutes before Sainz's Ferrari was badly damaged by a loose drain cover.
Verstappen will be champion again if he beats Norris on Saturday, with two rounds remaining after Las Vegas. — Reuters
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