Isola: The condition of the track was rapidly improving.

      Pirelli are happy with the performance of the tyres in Las Vegas. After the session was moved two hours earlier, it wasn’t as cold, and the track surface improved quickly…

      Mario Isola, Pirelli’s motorsport director: “As expected, the track improved quickly. It was closed to road traffic only a few hours before first practice, so at first it was very dirty, but with every lap it became covered in rubber and got quicker.

      In the second session Lando Norris beat the best time from second practice last year, set by Hamilton, by just over two tenths, which is already close to the time set a year ago in qualifying.

      In the first session the low track temperature led to graining of the Medium and Soft tyres, but to a lesser extent than last year. This did not affect wear, but caused a small amount of understeer.

      The difference in condition between the compounds was largely influenced by the programmes chosen by the teams. The Medium tyres, which were used for more laps with a high fuel load, showed more pronounced signs of graining than the Softs, which were used almost exclusively for a flying lap in qualifying mode.

      The Hard tyres were almost as quick as the Mediums over a lap and seem the perfect option for the Sunday race, especially if teams can extend their life.”