Lando Norris set the pace in Las Vegas during a second practice session that was halted for 19 minutes due to a loose manhole cover.
Norris, leading the championship by 24 points ahead of the final three rounds of the season, edged out Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes by a mere 0.029 seconds on the Strip. Max Verstappen, trailing by 49 points in the title race, finished in ninth place, while Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri came in 14th.
The session faced two red-flag interruptions due to a dislodged drain cover at the 17th corner, evoking memories of a similar incident from two years ago when a manhole cover caused damage to Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. The FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, took precautionary measures by suspending the session to assess the situation.
After a 16-minute delay, the session resumed for the final six minutes but was quickly stopped again for safety reasons. Further inspections were initiated to address the moving manhole cover issue.
The Las Vegas race, organized by F1’s American owners Liberty Media, saw disruptions that affected the drivers’ performance in setting representative lap times on the soft tire compound. The season is heading towards its climax with races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to follow.
Despite McLaren’s strong performance this season, the street circuit in Las Vegas has not been favorable to their car in previous races in Nevada. Norris faced some challenges in the earlier sessions but showed promise in the final interrupted session of the day, boosting his confidence in the title race.