{
  "id": 16235209,
  "title": "Leclerc tops times for Ferrari in opening practice for US Grand Prix",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/leclerc-tops-times-for-ferrari-in-opening-practice-for-us-grand-prix-16235209",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-23T21:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/sports/2026/10/24/leclerc-tops-times-for-ferrari-in-opening-practice-for-us-grand-prix"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace during the first practice session for the upcoming United States Grand Prix, outperforming Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen by a mere 0.084 seconds. Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who could secure the drivers' title this weekend, finished fifth. Leclerc's best lap time was 1:36.052 seconds, while Verstappen, the winner of the last two races, managed 1:36.136 seconds. McLaren's Lando Norris finished third, two-tenths behind Leclerc. George Russell, who trails Antonelli by 102 points in the championship, secured fourth place, ahead of his team-mate Hamilton and young Italian driver Leclerc. The practice session commenced with a large crowd enjoying warm weather, and several teams showcased their final upgrade packages. However, the primary focus was on Antonelli's title bid, which requires a victory in the upcoming race, along with subpar performances from Russell and Hamilton. The track was found to be bumpy, with Verstappen and Norris scratching their laps for exceeding track limits.",
  "summary": "Charles Leclerc clocked a best lap time of 1min and 36.052sec to beat Max Verstappen, winner of the last two races, by 0.084sec.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}