FP1 was the sole practice session in Austin before Sprint Qualifying began, and it ended with Lando Norris at the top of the timesheets, with Kick Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg and fellow papaya racer Oscar Piastri behind. However, for some drivers, their hour long practice session got cut short. Carlos Sainz drove back to the pits after his Williams appeared to have a gearbox issue, and his former teammate Charles Leclerc reported a smell of oil and returned to his garage.
Other than some drivers running wide into the gravel, and a red flag that was waved when debris from Stroll’s car littered the track, the session was free of large accidents.
Fernando Alonso was able to slot his Aston Martin into fourth place, behind the top three of Norris, Hulkenberg, and Piastri, while Max Verstappen went fifth fastest. Alex Albon came behind in sixth, ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in seventh and eighth respectively. Isack Hadjar put his Racing Bulls in ninth, while Ollie Bearman in the American-based Haas rounded out the top ten. Below are the full results from the one and only free practice session in Austin, Texas.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:33.294 |
| 2 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.255 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.279 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.345 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.354 |
| 6 | Alex Albon | Williams | +0.626 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.637 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.671 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.861 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.039 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.074 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1.184 |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +1.237 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.316 |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.325 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.359 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.371 |
| 18 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.443 |
| 19 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.580 |
| 20 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +2.786 |
