Norris dominates in Austin, but Hulkenberg surprises

The British Lando Norris stole the spotlight in the only free practice session of the United States Grand Prix, setting the fastest time around the Circuit of the Americas. However, the highlight was the unexpected performance of Nico Hülkenberg , who placed his car in Kick Sauber between the 2 McLarens, even surpassing Oscar Piastri .

With the Sprint format in action for the fourth time this season, teams had just an hour to fine-tune their cars before this afternoon's qualifying.

From the start, traffic was heavy in the pit lane , with Max Verstappen leading the line as the light goes green.

The Dutch champion set the first time with a time of 1:35.426, although the lead changed constantly as track conditions improved. A brief red flag stoppage, caused by tire debris at Turn 19 following a track exit by Stroll , momentarily interrupted the action.

Lewis Hamilton , a 5-time winner in Austin, took the lead with a time of 1:34.857, while Ferrari faced problems with the cars Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc , who practically did not complete any useful turns.

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In the final stretch, several drivers fitted soft tires for qualifying simulations, and it was then that Spaniard Fernando Alonso posted a 1:33.639 to briefly take first place. However, Norris responded with a resounding 1:33.294 to close at the top of the standings.

The surprise came seconds later, when Nico Hülkenberg slipped into second place, just 0.255 seconds behind Norris, beating Piastri by a narrow margin. Alonso finished fourth, followed by Verstappen in fifth, while Alex Albon, George Russell, Hamilton, Isaac Hadjar and the debutant Ollie Bearman completed the Top 10.

The activity will continue this afternoon with the Sprint Qualifying , which will determine the starting order for Saturday's short race in Austin, where McLaren, Red Bull and an inspired Hülkenberg promise more excitement.

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