Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his Brazil horror show to complete an impressive practice double at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Having said he wanted to quit Mercedes in the aftermath of his disappointing 10th-placed finish in Interlagos a fortnight ago, Hamilton first saw off team-mate George Russell by 0.396 seconds in the opening running on the Strip, and then McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.011 sec later in the day, to head both sessions.
Norris must take at least three points out of Max Verstappen’s 62-point championship lead to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar. Verstappen was an alarming 17th in second practice, two seconds off Hamilton’s pace. Carlos Sainz finished fourth for Ferrari, one place ahead of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton, who is joining Ferrari next season, admitted here that he had been prepared to cut short his 12-year Mercedes career, which has yielded six of his record-equalling seven world titles, after a torrid afternoon at the rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix.
“We all know that Lewis wears his heart on the sleeve,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff between practice sessions on Thursday.
“It was such a bad experience for him, that whole race weekend in Brazil, and particularly the Sunday, he said something that wasn’t, in a way, unusual.
“Now, this time was probably particularly bad. There are three races to go. He announced at the beginning of the year that he was joining Ferrari, and I am proud how we have achieved to maintain the professional relationships and we have given him a tool that is not good enough.”
Hamilton ended a two-and-a-half-year winless streak at the British Grand Prix in July, but he is seventh in the world championship, 203 points behind Verstappen and a place and two points back from Russell.
But the 39-year-old rolled back the years in Sin City to lay down an emphatic marker in the cold desert air which appeared to play to Mercedes’ strengths.
“I am feeling pretty good,” said Hamilton. “That is the first time I have had a day like that this year. The car was feeling really good in P1 and in P2 less so. We have work to do overnight.
“It is difficult to know exactly where we are and why we are where we are but I am really enjoying driving the track. We will see whether the car is still the same tomorrow.
“It was nice to get consecutive sectors and the car not throwing me off. I am feeling good in myself. As I said heading into this weekend, I know it is not my driving.”
Verstappen will claim his fourth consecutive title if he outscores Norris on Saturday. But the Dutch driver finished fifth in the opening running, and then ended the day way down the order as he struggled with the handling of his unruly Red Bull machine.
Last year’s opening session was delayed by a loose drain cover which ripped through Sainz’s Ferrari. The Spaniard was lucky to be unharmed as the track was repaired and the action finished at 4am in front of empty grandstands.
On Thursday there was no such blemish as both sessions ran smoothly.
