2022 F1 US GP FP1: What did we learn?

The 2022 F1 US GP race weekend kicked off with the first free practice session in Austin. Carlos Sainz's Ferrari led the charts in a session that had multiple 'young drivers' taking part in FP1. Max Verstappen was second, around two-tenths down on Sainz's time, while Lewis Hamilton was almost half a second slower than the Ferrari.

The session saw quite a few surprises as Lance Stroll's soft tire run jumped him up to P4 ahead of Sergio Perez, who constituted the top 5.

In a session that was supposed to have more of a 'settling in' process for the rest of the F1 US GP weekend, there were quite a few interesting takeaways. Let's take a look at them.

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2022 F1 US GP FP1: Key Learnings!

#1 The track's bumpy nature could be a concern

COTA is notorious for being bumpy, and even this time around, the onboard shots reveal something similar will be on offer. In Suzuka, Esteban Ocon and a few other drivers had mentioned that the F1 US GP could be a bumpy ride for the drivers because of the track's nature. Will we see a return of the 'bouncing' phenomenon this weekend? It will be worth keeping an eye on how the cars behave as the F1 US GP race weekend unravels.

#2 Mercedes' pace could be a concern

Lewis Hamilton's half-a-second margin to Carlos Sainz is pretty much where Mercedes has been this season. Concerns, however, exist when it comes to the car's straight-line efficiency. Mercedes struggled with that in Suzuka and even if the car potentially had a strong race pace, it wasn't enough to pull off overtakes.

With Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Perez all taking grid penalties for the F1 US GP, the two Mercedes drivers could be in contention for the podium. Can they secure it? We'll have to wait and see what their long-run pace looks like for that to happen.

#3 Ferrari's aero supremacy could make things interesting

On his best lap, Max Verstappen was level with Ferrari in Sector 1, two-tenths quicker in Sector 2, and four-tenths down in Sector 3. One of the reasons behind that, as alluded to by Verstappen himself, was the fact that Red Bull appeared to struggle in the slow-speed sections, where Ferrari has been the better machinery all season.

The four-tenths advantage in S3 is somewhat misleading, but also gives a clear idea of how Red Bull might be leaking time in the slow-speed sections. With Charles Leclerc, the true benchmark at Ferrari, yet to make an appearance in the 2022 F1 US GP running, there's probably a tenth or two still on the table for the team. While the long-run pace is still a question mark, it will be worth observing if Ferrari can pose a challenge to Red Bull at the F1 US GP.

#4 The midfield could be very congested

It was interesting to see Aston Martin leading the charts in the midfield but one reason behind that could be the car's capability in the lower speed sections. The last few weekends have seen Alpine and McLaren pull away from the rest of the midfield. This weekend, however, might be different and we could be looking at a much closer and more intense fight in the midfield.

#5 A word for the 'kids'!

The 2022 F1 US GP FP1 featured four drivers making an appearance for the first time in the sport. This was supposed to be the 'junior drivers' receiving the opportunity to drive the car and show how good they are. The drivers included two-time F2 runner-up Robert Shwartzman, this season's F2 runner-up (most likely) Theo Pourchaire, next season's Williams hopeful Logan Sargeant, and last year's IndyCar champion Alex Palou.

Of all these drivers, Palou arguably had the best session as his medium tire run was just three-tenths off Lando Norris. This was impressive speed for a driver on a debut F1 car run. Meanwhile, Shwartzman and the others' sessions were a mixed bag.

There is, however, a debate to be had on teams shouldering responsibility to give these drivers a better and more comprehensive running. We have often seen junior drivers unable to do anything representative this season as their run plans have been far from optimal.

Having said that, teams might be keeping an eye on Alex Palou for the way he was running close to Lando Norris on similar tires.