Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Friday's second practice ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix as he chases a sixth career Formula One championship on a track where he's won five times since 2012.

The British driver needs only to finish eighth Sunday to move into second place for career F1 titles. He's currently tied with Argentina's Juan Manuel Fangio and trails only the seven won the Germany's Michael Schumacher.

Hamilton ran eighth in the morning practice, then set the fastest time in the afternoon with a lap 0.301 seconds quicker than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Red Bull's Max Verstappen led the morning session and was third in the afternoon.

The sessions were notable for cool temperatures and the bumps on the 7-year-old Circuit of the Americas course that bounced cars around several sections of track.