Max Verstappen has hit the top of the timesheets in second practice at the US Grand Prix, finding his rhythm early at the Circuit of the Americas. The Red Bull driver laid down a 1:36.581 to lead George Russell's Mercedes and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who's still chasing his first timed lap after running into seat adjustment issues. It's classic Friday stuff at a new weekend, but with plenty still to figure out before qualifying gets serious.

More F1 news: Leclerc Leads COTA FP1 as Antonelli's Title Dream Heats Up in Austin

The Mercedes man Kimi Antonelli had a frustrating start to FP2, radioing his engineer Pete Bonnington to report that his seat was moving around like crazy during the session. The 20-year-old title contender, who needs to win the race this weekend with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing down the order to seal the championship, eventually came into the pits for repairs. But before he could get sorted, he picked up a track limits violation that wiped his lap time off the board. Not the ideal way to kick off proceedings when every session counts.

More F1 news: Leclerc Quickest in Austin FP1 as Teams Unleash Major Upgrades at COTA

Over at Mercedes, the team has made the bold decision to revert to their upgraded specification from Malaysia as they continue hunting for performance. The upgrade is there, they reckon, but they just haven't unlocked the right setup to make it sing yet. With three full practice sessions across the weekend, they're banking on having enough time to dial it in properly and find what they're looking for come race day.

More F1 news: Leclerc Flies to the Top in Austin FP1 with Ferrari's Latest Upgrades

Grid penalties are already being handed out before Sunday's main event. Arvid Lindblad takes a five-place drop for a sixth engine change, Franco Colapinto gets ten places back for fresh control electronics, and Gabriel Bortoleto's looking at a hefty 20-place penalty after multiple power unit updates. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez is back in the Cadillac after Colton Herta got his rookie run in first practice, with the American team still chasing their first ever F1 points.

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