Live updates of qualifying for Formula One’s US Grand Prix, at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

Lawson shows impressive pace in US Grand Prix practice as upgrades pay off

Liam Lawson has made an impressive start to Formula One’s US Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, and logged top 10 finishes in both free practice sessions.

Taking to the track on Friday (local time) on what Lawson describes as his favourite circuit on the Formula One calendar, the Kiwi showed impressive pace from the outset – notably on the hard tyres – on the same weekend Racing Bulls unveiled what will likely be the team’s final upgrade package of the year.

Red Bull’s sister side have introduced four major new components to the VCARB03, with updates to the front and rear wings, floor and engine cover.

Lawson’s best time of the day, 1m 36.331s, in the second session (FP2), had him sixth-fastest, 1.040s off the pace. That time had Lawson ahead of both McLaren cars, as well as Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.

However, neither Hadjar nor McLaren’s Lando Norris were able to post their fastest lap on the soft tyre.

The Kiwi was at times fortunate, after drivers ahead of him had lap times deleted for exceeding track limits, including seeing his own best mark in FP1 wiped for the same reason.

Regardless, Lawson got through 49 laps through both sessions, and logged time on all three tyre compounds.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had cemented himself as the driver to watch after topping both of Friday’s sessions, including posting the fastest lap of the day, 1m 35.291s.

On a weekend where he can seal this year’s title and become the youngest driver to be crowned Formula One champion, Kimi Antonelli was second-best to Leclerc, with his best lap of 1m 35.333s seeing him 0.042s off the pace.

The 20-year-old can claim the title on Monday morning, provided he leads the championship by 125 points or more.

Antonelli was 0.573s clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, and 0.702s ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, the only two drivers who can conceivably catch him in the title race.

More than one driver, though, complained about the track’s surface during the first day, specifically about the bumps across the surface and the effect it had on their cars.

Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad logged the 13th-fastest time in FP1, 0.628s behind his teammate, on the same day it was confirmed he’ll take a five-place grid penalty in Monday’s race for exceeding his number of internal combustion engines for the season.

The Racing Bulls pair are the only two drivers on the grid yet to learn their futures, with neither Lawson nor Lindblad locked in to remain in Formula One in 2027. However, Herald sources have indicated that the pair will be retained beyond this year.

Earlier, Lawson logged the 10th fastest time in FP1, albeit coming after his best effort was deleted for exceeding track limits. Lawson’s best lap of 1m 37.309s was 1.207s off the pace set by Leclerc, who was just 0.084s off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second.

Lawson should have finished ninth in the session, after posting a lap of 1m 37.048s, only to see it deleted for exceeding track limits.

Qualifying for the US Grand Prix begins at 10am on Sunday (NZT).