Leclerc was one of three drivers to run two of the 2022 Pirelli compounds – along with Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo – because he sat out FP1 with Robert Shwartzman driving his F1-75 as part of the rookie practice running mandated in the 2022 rules.
As the rest of the field completed set run plans dictated by Pirelli on two of its prototype compounds for next year – given to the teams in ‘blind’ allocation, with the drivers required to run both types but unaware which was which during their running – that trio duly set the session’s fastest times.
They were allowed 35 minutes to get up to speed for the first time around the Austin track in 2022, before then joining their colleagues on the unmarked rubber.
This is from the harder end of Pirelli’s 2023 range, with the soft compounds being trialled in the FP2 session for next weekend’s Mexican GP after that testing had to be dropped at the wet event in Japan last time out.
Bottas led the pack out of the pits for the start of the extended 90-minute session, with Ricciardo trailing behind – the pair having been replaced by Theo Pourchaire and Alex Palou at Alfa Romeo and McLaren respectively in FP1.
Running the 2022 medium tyres, Bottas established the benchmark at 1m40.655s before Ricciardo nipped ahead on a 1m40.474s also using the yellow-walled tyres.
After five minutes, Leclerc beat both with his first run – using the 2022 softs – to go top on a 1m38.856s.
He was briefly deposed by team-mate Carlos Sainz, who was running prototypes from the off as he had topped FP1, before Leclerc re-established his place at the top of times with a 1m37.614s to close out his softs-shod run.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
After a quick trip to the pits to switch to the mediums, Leclerc set the quickest time of FP2 just before the 15-minute mark – a 1m36.810s.
He pitted immediately afterwards and after a near 10-minute stint in the Ferrari garage, he completed his permitted time on the 2022 tyres completing a high-fuel run, with his times coming in around five seconds slower than his personal best.
This replicates a typical FP2 session, but with this session starting three hours later than the 2pm race start time on Sunday, conditions were not completely comparable.
As Leclerc was doing this, Bottas and Ricciardo had finished their 2022 tyre running on a contra-run plan – moving from the mediums to the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Autosport.com – Formula 1 – Stories…