Formula 1 in Austin: best time for the Dutchman on the Red Bull ahead of Norris and Piastri and big problems for the Reds. Leclerc breaks the gearbox and is then only tenth
From free practice to official testing for the Sprint for Ferrari it is always an ordeal. Even in Austin, the nineteenth round of the Formula 1 season, the Reds are very far from the best, who are always the same with Max Verstappen in front of everyone to scare the two Mc Larens of Norris and Piastri. Max believes more and more in the possibility of winning the World Championship, while the Mc Laren duo seem terrified of Red Bull’s possible comeback. But the hero of the day is Nico Hulkenberg which brings his Sauber to fourth place. There is always a surprise in every Grand Prix, the only negative constant always and only comes from the Maranello cars.
Leclerc gearbox problem
In the free practice session the first time obtained by Lewis Hamilton he had created some illusions, but then as almost always happens while the others improve the times of the Ferraris are not up to par. Leclerc couldn’t even finish the session in the first hour of practice due to a gearbox problemwhich was replaced before the Sprint tests. In short, the usual sad Black Friday for Maranello and hoping that Saturday holds some hope of recovery is pure utopia. In the Sprint Hamilton will start on the fourth row and Leclerc on the fifth, then we will see in the qualifying for the race what the two drivers will be able to do.
What’s new for 2026
Meanwhile, the officialization of the new rules for 2026 seems imminent. With the entry of a new team into Formula 1, Cadillac, the cars competing will go from 20 to 22. In qualifying there will therefore be six cars (and not five) eliminated in the Q1 and Q2 sessions. This will leave ten drivers taking part in Q3.
