Lewis Hamilton recovered from his horror show in Brazil to lead a British hat-trick in opening practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Having said he wanted to leave Mercedes after his disappointing 10th place finish at Interlagos a fortnight ago, Hamilton edged team-mate George Russell by 0.396 seconds at the Strip.
Lando Norris, who must add at least three points to Max Verstappen’s 62-point championship lead to extend the title battle to the penultimate race in Qatar, was third, almost a 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 short his 12-year career at Mercedes after a torrid afternoon at the rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix.
But the 39-year-old, who will move to Ferrari next year, left an emphatic marker on Thursday night to maintain a clear lead over the rest of the field.
Hamilton’s fastest lap marked an impressive performance for the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes team, with the Silver Arrows leading the way in the cold desert air.
Verstappen will clinch his fourth consecutive world title if he beats Norris on Saturday. But the Dutch driver finished two places behind Norris in the first race of the weekend.
Last year’s opening session was delayed by a loose drain cover that crashed into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
The Spaniard was unlucky to escape unscathed as the track was repaired and the action ended at 4am in front of empty stands.
There were no problems on Thursday and everything went smoothly.
Sainz finished sixth for Ferrari, which is 36 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ standings, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso seventh and Oscar Piastri eighth.
The second training session will take place at 22:00 local time (06:00 GMT).