Hamilton Blazes Trail in Las Vegas F1 Practice

Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest time in first practice at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leading Mercedes teammate George Russell by 0.396 seconds amidst challenging conditions. Coming off a disappointing finish in Sao Paulo, Hamilton found redemption, outpacing rivals including Max Verstappen in the Nevada desert heat.

Lewis Hamilton set the pace as the fastest driver during the first practice session of the Las Vegas Formula One Grand Prix on Thursday, surpassing his Mercedes teammate George Russell.

The seven-time world champion showed resilience following a challenging outcome in Sao Paulo, labeling the weekend as disastrous. Hamilton dominated the practice with a remarkable time of one minute and 35.001 seconds, leaving Russell trailing by 0.396 seconds and McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.953 seconds in the challenging Nevada desert conditions.

Defending champion Max Verstappen, aiming for a fourth consecutive championship victory in Saturday's race, finished fifth, more than a second behind Hamilton's blistering pace. A significant incident from last year was averted, as the session successfully navigated a transformed Las Vegas Strip, without interruptions like the one caused by a loose drain cover that damaged Carlos Sainz's Ferrari previously.

(With inputs from agencies.)