With just three rounds left in the championship, the tension in Las Vegas is unmistakable. FP2 however, rolled off to a slow start rather than exploding into action.

A Slow Burn Start

Ten minutes in, few of the expected frontrunners decided to participate, with Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, and George Russell logging the early exploratory laps.

Russell delivered the first real statement with a 1:36.145, only for Kimi Antonelli to immediately better it, sparking a back-and-forth that hints at Mercedes’ growing authority. Lewis Hamilton soon joins the fight as well, in a sequence that pushes the session into a new gear.

The Wait For Major Contenders

Hamilton temporarily set the benchmark with a 1:35.338, but Russell’s answer on medium tyres kept Mercedes on the front foot.

But with half an hour remaining, the soft-tyre runs still hadn’t arrived from the major contenders. Lawson and Isack Hadjar took advantage, piecing together strong laps to infiltrate the top three while others waited for the right moment to strike. Charles Leclerc came close to disaster as he skimmed the edge of the barriers at Turn 9, but managed to gather the car just in time.

Red Flags Halt All Momentums

A report of a loose drain cover at Turn 17 triggered a red flag while officials investigated, and the lull dragged on long enough to freeze the timing screens as drivers sat tight in their garages.

When the circuit reopened, the clocks showed only six minutes left. Norris seized that brief window, firing in a 1:33.602 to retake control of the session, just 0.029s clear of Antonelli. But any hopes of a late flurry dissolved immediately when Leclerc’s Ferrari ground to a halt with a suspected gearbox issue. Seconds later, the red flag returned.

When the dust settled, Norris remained atop the timings, followed by Antonelli and Leclerc, whose strong pace earlier in the day ultimately overshadowed his mechanical troubles. Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber delivered one of the day’s standout surprises in fourth, with Hadjar and Lawson continuing their impressive form to secure fifth and sixth.

A slow session means that there’s more to uncover over the weekend, with the championship battle to look forward to.