Mercedes has struggled to find consistency since Lewis Hamilton’s victory in Belgium back in July, with only one podium finish to their name since then. However, Hamilton’s performance at the top of the timesheets in both practice sessions on Friday in Las Vegas came as a surprise. George Russell also posted strong top-three finishes in both sessions, offering hope for the team. But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is urging caution, warning the Silver Arrows not to get ahead of themselves.

Wolff recalled previous occasions where strong performances on the first day in practice were followed by disappointing drops in performance, which negatively affected their qualifying results.

“We’ve had a few good Fridays where the car was sliding around and there wasn’t much grip. That’s why it’s hard to judge. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Wolff told Motorsport-Total.

Both practice sessions were marked by grip issues, caused by cooler temperatures and a dusty track that made it difficult for drivers to find their braking points, with several drivers running off track. Despite these challenges, Hamilton and Russell were the standout performers, but Wolff remains cautious. He expressed concern over potential track evolution, which could increase grip between the tires and the surface, potentially hurting Mercedes’ setup.

“If there’s more grip tomorrow, our car will probably be more difficult to drive than the others,” Wolff explained, referencing the W15’s issue with “three-wheeling,” where one wheel lifts, causing significant lap time loss. He added that the cooler temperatures had worked in Mercedes’ favor, preventing the rear tires from overheating, a problem they typically face in warmer conditions.

Even Hamilton himself is puzzled by the car’s sudden improvement in Las Vegas. After FP2, he said, “Difficult to know exactly where we are or why we are where we are, but I’m really enjoying driving the track. We’ll see if the car stays the same tomorrow.” Hamilton acknowledged that the team still has work to do to find race pace.

Hamilton topped FP1, finishing just under four-tenths ahead of Russell, with Lando Norris trailing almost a second behind. However, Norris found pace in FP2, finishing just 0.011 seconds behind Hamilton in second.