The second practice was due to take place in Austin in the afternoon, but the FIA had to delay the start after some heavy rain started to fall about half an hour beforehand. The drivers were waiting in the garages, ready to go, but with ten minutes before the green light was due, the governing body confirmed the start would be "delayed indefinitely." This was due to lightning being in the area, making it unsafe for the marshals to work.

After one hour of delay, the FIA confirmed the session was cancelled entirely as there would be no medical helicopter available for another couple of hours. The rain is expected to continue into Saturday, which raises more concerns about the scheduled running tomorrow.