The delays and disruption meant a way of the aggressive image was solely partially fashioned, particularly as there was no time for the race simulation runs that usually happen within the last minutes of the session.
For what it is price, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was fourth quickest, forward of the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson.
Mercedes’ George Russell was seventh quickest, with Williams’ Alex Albon, Verstappen and Hamilton finishing the highest 10.
Antonelli continued the robust type that noticed him rating a second-place end in Brazil two weeks in the past for Mercedes, who began the weekend favourites after Russell’s dominant victory final yr.
However Russell cautioned towards presuming the group may repeat the identical feat this yr.
“We’re within the combine,” he mentioned. “There have been loads of expectations on us coming into this weekend however we have modified the automobile quite a bit since final yr and it is undoubtedly made it a greater automobile over the course of a season however possibly hasn’t made it as aggressive as we have been right here 12 months in the past.
“However we’re nonetheless there or thereabouts. It was shut. Lando was fast, Verstappen and Leclerc have been fast in P1, Kimi was fast, so it’ll be shut.”
Verstappen was fourth quickest within the first session, 0.307secs off pace-setter Leclerc and extremely unusually behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda. He mentioned: “It has been OK, simply obscure what to do with these interruptions.
“We nonetheless want to enhance just a little little bit of discover a bit extra grip. The monitor’s enhancing each session and we are going to attempt to deal with that seeing how far we are able to function the tyres for qualifying and the race.”
Verstappen was additionally tipped strongly coming into the race assembly as he received at Monza and Baku in September, each tracks with comparable traits to Las Vegas, high-speed straights into massive braking zones and slow-speed corners, with comparatively low grip.
However Verstappen mentioned the circuits have been much less comparable than appeared at first look.
“It is quite a bit colder right here and the floor may be very slippery so you can not evaluate them to different tracks simply because it is low downforce,” he mentioned. “So it isn’t a given you can be fast right here.”
Shortly earlier than the second pink flag, Leclerc’s Ferrari stopped on monitor with what seemed to be a gearbox downside.
