Second practice for the 2026 F1 United States Grand Prix, round 18, was completed on October 23. Charles Leclerc was fastest again in 1:35.291, with Kimi Antonelli second at 0.042 seconds and Max Verstappen third at 0.189 seconds. Leclerc topped both Friday sessions, while the FP2 top three were covered by less than 0.2 seconds.
Soft-tire runs change the leader as Antonelli overcomes a seat problem
Verstappen established the early benchmark on mediums before George Russell briefly went fastest. Once teams switched to soft-tire qualifying simulations, Leclerc took the lead. Most drivers moved to long runs in the final 20 minutes, leaving the top order unchanged.
Antonelli began with a seat that had not been secured properly, while some drivers also lost laps to track limits. Despite losing running time, Antonelli came close to first with 1:35.333. Lewis Hamilton and Russell were fourth and fifth, and Liam Lawson took sixth for Racing Bulls.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri placed the McLarens seventh and eighth, followed by Isack Hadjar ninth and Oliver Bearman tenth. Sergio Pérez returned to Cadillac after Herta's FP1 appearance and finished 21st in FP2.
No further action over the Russell–Leclerc incident
Russell was shown the black-and-white flag following an on-track incident with Leclerc. The FIA stewards' decision stated that both cars had been on preparation laps, the incident occurred at Turn 18 and it was not dangerous, so no further action was taken. No additional penalty was imposed on either driver. An incident investigation and lap deletion for exceeding track limits are separate processes.
The fastest FP2 laps put Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull in a close top-three contest, but cannot independently establish long-run pace. US FP3 is scheduled for October 25 at 01:30 China Standard Time (UTC+8), with qualifying at 05:00 that day. The race is scheduled to start on October 26 at 04:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8).
FP2 results
| Position | Car number | Driver | Team | Fastest lap | Gap to first (seconds) | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:35.291 | — | 30 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:35.333 | +0.042 | 25 |
| 3 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35.480 | +0.189 | 24 |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:35.906 | +0.615 | 26 |
| 5 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:36.035 | +0.744 | 27 |
| 6 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:36.331 | +1.040 | 27 |
| 7 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:36.373 | +1.082 | 27 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:36.387 | +1.096 | 27 |
| 9 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:36.411 | +1.120 | 24 |
| 10 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:36.536 | +1.245 | 28 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:36.832 | +1.541 | 27 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:36.840 | +1.549 | 27 |
| 13 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:36.959 | +1.668 | 29 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:37.111 | +1.820 | 26 |
| 15 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:37.201 | +1.910 | 32 |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:37.235 | +1.944 | 26 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:37.269 | +1.978 | 28 |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:37.430 | +2.139 | 26 |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:38.422 | +3.131 | 24 |
| 20 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:38.446 | +3.155 | 28 |
| 21 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:39.036 | +3.745 | 24 |
| 22 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:43.426 | +8.135 | 27 |
