Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his Brazil horror show to lead a British one-two-three in opening practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Having said he wanted to quit Mercedes in the aftermath of his disappointing 10th-placed finish in Interlagos a fortnight ago, Hamilton saw off team-mate George Russell by 0.396 seconds on the Strip.
Lando Norris, who must take at least three points out of Max Verstappen’s 62-point championship lead to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar, was third, nearly one second back.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, one place ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen.
Hamilton admitted here on Wednesday that he was prepared to cut his 12-year Mercedes career short after a torrid afternoon at the rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix.
But the 39-year-old, who is moving to Ferrari next year, laid down an emphatic marker on Thursday night to hold a clear advantage over the rest of the field.
Hamilton’s hot lap marked an impressive showing for the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes team with the Silver Arrows the early pacesetters in the cold desert air.
Verstappen will claim his fourth consecutive world title if he outscores Norris on Saturday. But the Dutch driver finished two places behind Norris in the opening running of the weekend.
Last year’s opening session was delayed by a loose drain cover which ripped through Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The Spaniard was unlucky to be unharmed as the track was repaired and the action finished at 4am in front of empty grandstands.
On Thursday there was no such blemish as it all ran smoothly.
Sainz finished sixth for Ferrari, who trail McLaren by 36 points in the constructors’ standings, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso seventh and Oscar Piastri eighth.
The second practice session takes place at 10pm local time (06:00 GMT).