Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his “disaster of a weekend” in Brazil to top practice in Las Vegas, heading a British one-two-three in both sessions, as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said he was proud of the way the pair had managed to remain “professional” this season.
Ferrari-bound Hamilton, 39, who admitted he “didn’t want to come back” for the final three races of this season after finishing 10th in Sao Paulo, beat team mate George Russell into P2 in first practice, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third. Norris and Russell then switched positions in second practice.
It was a stunning reversal of fortunes for Hamilton who has been the subject of feverish speculation in the last few weeks following his poor performance in Brazil, and especially following quotes from Wolff who said in a new book that every driver had a “shelf life”.
Wolff was quizzed again about those comments in Thursday’s FIA press conference and did not back down. “What I said is that everybody has a shelf life and you don’t want to go from great to good,” the Austrian said. “And that doesn’t exclude the drivers. And it’s still something that I stand by. I’m asking myself this question all the time. And so I do it for the organisation and for everybody around.
“[But] you know, that was one sentence in a book and there were 99 sentences in you know around the Brazil weekend and quotes in some interviews that I’ve given about Lewis where I clearly remark that he’s the greatest driver of all time and that if we are able to give him a quick car he’s going to be able to win, he’s able to fight for a championship but we have failed in doing so.
“Obviously it’s three more races to go, he’s announced that he’s going to Ferrari at the beginning of the year, and I’m quite proud of how we have achieved to maintain the professional relationships like they are. But we knew it’s never going to be easy.”
Hamilton looked to be in fine fettle on the streets of Vegas, although the cold nighttime temperatures and dusty track surface undoubtedly suited the Mercedes.
Norris, who must beat Red Bull’s champion-elect Verstappen by at least three points in Sin City to keep the title race alive, finished +0.011 sec behind Hamilton in second practice, with Russell third at +0.190.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were fourth and fifth fastest. Verstappen could only finish 17th fastest at the end of a difficult day. The world champion’s long run pace looked competitive but he struggled to get his tyres into the operating window on his quick laps.
A host of celebrities are due to descend on Las Vegas for qualifying on Friday night, and the grand prix on Saturday. From Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt and Sylvester Stallone to rapper Snoop Dogg, to Olympic legend Michael Phelps.
