FP1 and FP2 of the Mexico GP were full of surprises. The first session saw five rookies take to the track. There were also two red flags in FP1, limiting data collection, and one more in the second session.
Red Bull encountered issues with Verstappen’s car, while Mercedes saw Russell finish as the fastest in FP1 before crashing in the following session. Ferrari looked in excellent form once again, riding the positive momentum from last week’s Austin GP.
Here are the key points from FP1 and FP2 of the Mexico GP.
Rookies and Red Flags
Today marked the start of the Mexico GP weekend, with five young drivers joining the first practice session.
Pato O’Ward took to the track in his home GP, driving Lando Norris’s McLaren. Oliver Bearman was in Charles Leclerc’s SF-24 for FP1, as was Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Mercedes No. 44. Robert Shwartzman drove for Sauber, replacing Guanyu Zhou for the first session, while Felipe Drugovich returned to Aston Martin in place of Fernando Alonso.
FP1 also saw two red flags within a short time. Just minutes into the session, the first red flag was triggered by debris on the track. While it posed no major issues, marshals had to come out to clean it up. Antonelli and Verstappen couldn’t avoid running over the debris and had their cars checked before resuming.
A few laps after the restart, a second red flag was issued. At the end of a series of fast corners, Alexander Albon couldn’t avoid Bearman. The young British driver was moving slowly, and the Thai driver lost control, hitting the left front of the Ferrari before sliding into the barriers, ending FP1 for both drivers.
In FP2, another red flag came out just 15 minutes in when Russell hit the wall at Turn 8. His Friday practice was cut short, and he now faces the race weekend with the older upgrade package used in Singapore.
Problems for Red Bull and Mercedes
FP1 began well for Mercedes, with George Russell finishing the session in first place, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda. The British driver proved quicker than the Spaniard and Verstappen, who were battling for the fastest time with 20 minutes remaining.
During the same session, Max Verstappen slowed on track and returned to the pit lane, complaining of a lack of power. Once his car was back in the garage, the three-time world champion exited the vehicle, ending his first session.
In FP2, George Russell crashed, bringing out the red flag. After a pause to repair the barrier, the session resumed. However, Max Verstappen faced new, serious issues with his car and ended FP2 with no recorded time.
It could be said that both teams—Mercedes and Red Bull—relied on a single driver on track. For Red Bull, Max Verstappen ended both sessions early, while Mercedes experienced a particularly difficult FP2 with George Russell’s crash. FP3 will thus be crucial for both teams.
Scuderia Ferrari and the Pirelli Tests
Scuderia Ferrari started the weekend well. Carlos Sainz recorded the second-fastest time in the first practice session, behind George Russell and ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.
FP2 once again showed a very fast Ferrari, both in qualifying pace and race pace. Sainz topped the session, followed by Piastri and Tsunoda. Charles Leclerc finished just outside the top three, in fourth. In terms of race pace, both Ferrari drivers posted excellent times, especially in the final sector, where their car appears to be the best. The SF-24 also seems very stable over the curbs, giving the drivers a lot of confidence.
The second free practice session for the Mexico GP at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was extended by 30 minutes for some tests. The Italian tire supplier, Pirelli, conducted tests on tires for the upcoming season. However, there were some rules to follow. The program required: 5 push laps with 20 kg of fuel on board and at least 12 long-run laps without any changes to the car setup.
Much of the session was dedicated to these tests, which all teams were required to complete.
Leave a Reply