F1 United States Grand Prix practice at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on October 22, 2021. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Sergio Perez sparked hopes of a Red Bull resurgence as he went fastest in second practice at the Circuit of The Americas, but team mate Max Verstappen failed to set a flying lap having got caught up in traffic. That left McLaren's Lando Norris second and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton third fastest. Temperatures and tempers were high in FP2, as was proven when Verstappen and Hamilton ran side-by-side from the final corner through to Turn 1 with 10 minutes on the clock. The Red Bull driver branded his rival a "stupid idiot" and offered him a choice gesture as the Mercedes sped away, as you can see in the clip below.
That wasn't Verstappen's only flashpoint as he expressed his frustration with his race engineer having been caught in traffic at the start of the mid-session short runs. Audibly fed up, he retreated to the pits and skipped to long runs instead, which proved to be on par with Mercedes. While Verstappen finished eighth in FP2, it was team mate Perez who set the benchmark of 1m34.946s on softs having also led on mediums early on.
The Mexican eventually finished 0.257s ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris – who showed competitive medium-tyred pace too – as Hamilton took third, 0.364s off the pace. Hamilton's Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas was 0.050s behind in P4 having topped FP1. That left Daniel Ricciardo, who began the session on softs and improved using the same tyre for his flying runs, fifth overall for McLaren – and a tenth faster than Aston Martin's Lance Stroll in P6.
Verstappen, eighth and 0.878s off the pace, was sandwiched by the Ferraris with Charles Leclerc seventh and Carlos Sainz ninth, while Antonio Giovinazzi rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo. Pierre Gasly finished 12th and was bookended by Alpines with Esteban Ocon 11th and Fernando Alonso 13th. The Spaniard spun off at Turn 19 late in the session but rescued his Alpine from the gravel to finish the session in the pits.
Kimi Raikkonen, winner of a sensational 2018 United States Grand Prix here, finished 14th for Alfa Romeo ahead of his former team mate, Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel, who was in P15 having set his fastest effort on mediums, much like Verstappen. Yuki Tsunoda had a flying lap deleted and finished 16th for AlphaTauri, leaving Mick Schumacher 17th for home team Haas. Next up was Williams' Nicholas Latifi in 18th and his team mate George Russell in P19 while Haas's Nikita Mazepin said it was "impossible to get a lap on this track" before rounding out the standings. (Source: F1)
United States Grand Prix 2021 Practice 2 Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:34.946 | 24 | |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:35.203 | +0.257s | 20 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:35.310 | +0.364s | 22 |
| 4 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 1:35.360 | +0.414s | 24 |
| 5 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:35.457 | +0.511s | 21 |
| 6 | 18 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:35.561 | +0.615s | 25 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:35.572 | +0.626s | 23 |
| 8 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 1:35.824 | +0.878s | 23 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:35.919 | +0.973s | 24 |
| 10 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:36.138 | +1.192s | 26 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:36.158 | +1.212s | 23 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:36.242 | +1.296s | 25 |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:36.376 | +1.430s | 18 |
| 14 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 1:36.558 | +1.612s | 25 |
| 15 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | 1:36.718 | +1.772s | 30 |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 1:36.983 | +2.037s | 24 |
| 17 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | 1:37.041 | +2.095s | 24 |
| 18 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:37.254 | +2.308s | 26 |
| 19 | 63 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:37.490 | +2.544s | 21 |
| 20 | 9 | Nikita Mazepin | HAAS FERRARI | 1:38.026 | +3.080s | 23 |
Formula One
Formula One is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, which take place worldwide on both purpose-built circuits and closed public roads. While Europe is the sport's traditional base, the championship operates globally, with 13 of the 23 races in the 2021 season taking place outside Europe.
Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.
The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1. It has hosted the Formula 1 United States Grand Pix, MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more. Nestled within the track is Germania Insurance Amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and its 251-foot signature observation tower.
Formula One
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Circuit of The Americas
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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