REPORT: Thursday in Las Vegas

It was a tricky evening for the team as Formula 1 made a return to the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the final triple header of the 2024 season.

A clean first practice session saw Franco finish P17 with a 1:38.025, while Alex crossed the line in P13 with a 1:36.948.

As the temperature dropped in Nevada – creating conditions rarely seen on the F1 calendar – teams needed to knuckle down for FP2.

Alex was unlucky to suffer a fuel system issue which limited his running to just three laps, but Franco was able to put in some consistent laps to gather some valuable data for the team.

Our No.43 finished with a personal best of 1:35.868 in the second practice session, and all focus will turn now to Friday's programming – culminating in the all-important Qualifying session from 10pm local time.

"It’s been a very nice experience today to drive under the lights of Vegas for the first time," Franco shared after his first evening on track.

"In FP1 we were quite strong, but the track was very dirty, like a rally track, when we started today.

"It’s a very low grip track and, with the low temperatures, it’s difficult to get the tyres up to temp and keep them in the window.

"We will work hard tonight to understand the best direction to go in tomorrow and I’m sure we are going to be stronger."

Alex continued our Thursday reaction by sharing: "We’re certainly lacking mileage today and around this track, getting those laps in is vital as it’s so tricky and you need to feel confident with everything, especially your braking confidence.

"We’ll be able to fix the issue, but we certainly have a lot of work to do tomorrow in FP3.

"We need to look at our performance and see where we can improve but it will be about getting those tyres in the right window, and we’re not quite there yet."

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director, wrapped up by adding: "After the damage we suffered in Mexico and Brazil, the team did a phenomenal job to get us ready for this weekend.

"The drivers will ramp up the pace in each session and you will see that as we go through the weekend, but every lap counts on this tricky circuit and unfortunately Alex suffered a fuel system issue which has put us a bit on the back foot.

"It is Franco’s first time here and he is learning where the limit is. We will keep building and are looking forward to Qualifying tomorrow."