Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his disastrous race weekend in Brazil to secure a commanding double practice session victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Following his disheartening 10th-place finish in Interlagos two weeks ago, where he expressed a desire to leave Mercedes, Hamilton first outpaced his teammate George Russell by 0.396 seconds in the initial practice on the Strip. He then edged out McLaren's Lando Norris by a mere 0.011 seconds later in the day, topping both sessions.
Norris, who needs to cut into Max Verstappen's 62-point championship lead by at least three points to prolong the title fight until the penultimate race in Qatar, found Verstappen struggling significantly. The Dutchman finished a concerning 17th in the second practice, lagging two seconds behind Hamilton's pace. Carlos Sainz secured fourth place for Ferrari, just ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton, set to join Ferrari next season, confessed that he was ready to end his 12-year tenure with Mercedes, which has brought him six of his record-tying seven world titles, after a grueling afternoon at the rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix. "We all know that Lewis wears his heart on his sleeve," commented Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff between practice sessions on Thursday. "It was such a terrible experience for him, that entire race weekend in Brazil, especially Sunday, and he said something that, in a way, wasn't unusual."
Hamilton snapped a two-and-a-half-year winless streak at the British Grand Prix in July but currently sits seventh in the world championship, 203 points adrift of Verstappen and trailing Russell by a position and two points. However, the 39-year-old seemed rejuvenated in the chilly desert air of Sin City, which appeared to favor Mercedes.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Hamilton said. "This is the first time I've had a day like this all year. The car felt really good in P1, and in P2, it was less so. We have work to do overnight. It's tough to know exactly where we stand and why, but I'm really enjoying driving the track. We'll see if the car is the same tomorrow. As I said heading into this weekend, I know it's not my driving."
Verstappen can clinch his fourth consecutive title if he outscores Norris on Saturday. However, the Dutch driver finished fifth in the opening practice and struggled significantly in the second session, battling with the handling of his Red Bull car. Last year's opening session was marred by a loose drain cover that damaged Sainz's Ferrari, but Thursday's sessions proceeded without incident.
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