01:06 – Max in front without dominating. Ferrari with two faces, Leclerc well
Max Verstappen, he is always there in front of everyone. But in these free practices of the Mexican GP the Dutchman’s usual dominance does not emerge. He didn’t shine on the race pace like other times. The gaps are small, the top ten are collected in less than a second: they could be very spectacular qualifications (Here are times and where to see them). Where perhaps it will be a detail, a single mistake or magic that makes the difference. The certainty: McLaren second force with Lando Norris one tenth behind the world champion.
The papaya machine is going strong everywhere, and it shouldn’t hit Piastri’s ninth place too much. Ferrari presents two faces: the convincing one of Leclerc, at ease on the flying lap and also on the race pace. The other less than happy one is Sainz who after an all uphill weekend (first an illness then a hydraulic mishap which made him lose time in FP1) finds himself eleventh. Nothing irremediable, the Spaniard often gets excited in times of difficulty. «It’s too early to make judgments – said Fred Vasseur – we are all struggling a bit in finding the right configurations for cooling».
A key factor in the race in Mexico, because the high altitude makes the engine and brakes breathe little. The time ranking then needs to be interpreted: because after half the session a bit of rain started to fall and no one was able to lower the times. This explains Valtteri Bottas’ fourth place in the Alfa ahead of home idol Sergio Perez. Or Daniel Ricciardo’s sixth on the AlphaTauri. Mercedes seems distant (Hamilton and Russell 7th and 10th) but in reality the little data on pace is promising. So we are only at the beginning of a long journey. «A positive start, better than I expected» said Verstappen. «The track is slippery and the tires are difficult to manage. Norris will be very competitive in qualifying.”
01:00 – Free Practice 2 ends, Verstappen in the lead
FP2 ends in Mexico City. Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc. This is the top 3.
00.52 am – Rain increases
The times increase, the race direction warns that the track is slippery in some sections. Sainz struggles only eleventh.
00:50 – Verstappen struggles a bit
Max’s times weren’t brilliant, Norris seems to be doing better in terms of race pace. Well Leclerc.
00.43 am – Mercedes and McLaren did well on race pace
This is also a constant in the latest races: McLaren and Mercedes are better off than Ferrari in terms of pace. Even if Leclerc is giving good signs about consistency.
00.41 am – It starts to rain
In Mexico City the rain falls with just over a quarter of an hour to go. It will be difficult to improve the times.
00:38 – Race simulations begin
Verstappen is running on medium tyres, he is concentrating on his race pace which in the first free practice session was not exceptional. Not for Red Bull levels.
00:37 – The top 5 with 20′ to go
Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc, Bottas, Perez
00.32 am – Changes for Leclerc
The anti-roll bar on Charles’ car has been changed, a modification that will change the behavior of the car. He sets the third fastest time behind Norris and Verstappen.
00:29 – Ricciardo well
The Australian is three tenths behind Verstappen, Sainz is struggling. He is only ninth.
00:27 – Verstappen ahead of Norris
Verstappen is ahead of Norris on soft tires. Hamilton is also improving, qualifying on Saturday at 11pm could be very spectacular.
00:25 – Alonso spins
Fernando spun at Turn 9, but managed to keep the Aston Martin on the track.
00.24 – Qualifying simulations, Piastri and Albon show
Pole laps are being tested for Saturday’s qualifying: Piastri and Albon dictate the times, now Verstappen will attempt his fast pass.
00:19 – The top 5 after 20′
Verstappen, Leclerc,Ricciardo, Sainz, Bottas.
00:18 – Charles did well with his averages
Leclerc is a tenth from Verstappen with equal rubber.
00:15 – Verstappen returns to the lead
Put on the yellow tires and get back in front of everyone. Behind is Ricciardo in the AlphaTauri
Yet another incredible performance from the Williams Thai who puts himself ahead of Verstappen by 10 thousandths.
00:09 – The top 5 after 10′
Verstappen, Norris, Albon, Leclerc, Ricciardo.
00:05 – Verstappen’s best time, a few drops of rain fall
The Red Bull world champion laps in 1’20”085. It’s light rain in Mexico City, but it seems like passing clouds.
Charles gets off to a good start on the prototype tyres, Norris also runs similar times.
00:00 – Off to the second free practice
Perez launches immediately. For Russell’s first laps in Mexico, in the initial round he had left the Mercedes to the young Vesti. Pirelli tests on the 2024 tires continue, the riders will try new compounds.
11.48pm – The Williams surprise
Albon finished first free practice in second place behind Verstappen. The Williams goes very fast on tracks where low load counts. It’s not the first time. In Mexico it is helped by the rarefied air (you run at 2,200 metres) which reduces the incidence of the wings. For this reason, although the track is very fast, aerodynamic configurations similar to those of Monte Carlo are used.
– Albon davanti to Perez (Afp)
11.36pm – Ready for the second free practice
It will be a much more representative session with all the big names on the field after some teams had left the cars to young freshmen.
9.37pm – The usual Max, a charged Perez. A difficult return for Sainz. Second free time at midnight
In the name of Verstappen, as always this season. The world champion dominated the first free practice session of the Mexican GP ahead of a surprising Albon and a Perez galvanized by the support of the fans at home. These are only the first laps around the racetrack dedicated to the Rodriguez brothers but we can already understand the mood: Red Bull is very strong and we still don’t understand who the second force could be. McLaren sent a signal with Norris fourth. Ferrari didn’t start badly, at least with Leclerc (5th).
For Sainz, however, the return to the track after the illness that kept him in the hotel on Thursday was not easy: he lost about twenty minutes due to a hydraulic leak. When he came back inside he signed the seventh fastest time. It is a session that in any case matters little: because tire tests were conducted and because there were so many young people, as these Fp1s are dedicated to rookies: Jack Doohan on the Alpine (son of the great Mick, motorcycling champion), Ollie Bearman (from the Ferrari) on the Haas. Danish Frederik Vesti in the Mercedes replacing Russell, Theo Pourchaire in the Alfa Romeo.
9.36pm – The top 10 of the free practices
Verstappen, Albon, Perez, Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Sainz, Ricciardo, Ocon, Stroll.
9.28pm – Verstappen ends the first free practice sessions in the lead
The FP1 of the Mexican GP is over. Verstappen is the fastest ahead of Albon and Perez. Leclerc fifth and Sainz seventh.
9.22pm – Charles had good times
For now, Ferrari seems fairly in line with the leaders in terms of race pace. Good start for Leclerc, but it is still early to make judgements.
9.18pm – Albon very fast
The Williams driver did well, just a few thousandths behind Verstappen. The altitude of Mexico City favors very high top speeds.
9.14pm – Race simulations for Leclerc
Charles Leclerc began the race simulations on the hard tyres.
9.12pm – Perez behind Verstappen
Sergio Perez did well, three tenths slower than Max. He wants to give a signal in front of the home crowd. It’s only the beginning but he’s off to a good start. Sainz is sixth.
9.08pm – Sainz returns to the track
Carlos returns to the track, the fault resolved. He put on red tyres.
9.02pm – Norris scores the best lap, Verstappen responds
The British McLaren driver laps 8 thousandths faster than Verstappen, but has fitted red tyres. Verstappen responds and gives him half a second on the same compounds.
8.59pm – The top 5 after half an hour
Verstappen, Albon, Leclerc, Perez, Ricciardo. Sainz is still in the garage, we are trying to fix the fault.
Ore 20:53 – Verstappen vola
Max is very strong on this track where he won in 2021 and 2022. He is first even if the advantage over Albon is 4 thousandths.
8.49pm – Mechanics working on Sainz’s car
Carlos has returned to the pits, the mechanics are working on his car to resolve the problem. The feeling is that it will take time. Leclerc, with the prototype tires, is fourth.
8.42pm – Hydraulic problem for Sainz
Carlos has a hydraulic problem, the power steering doesn’t work and he is forced to return to the pits.
Ore 20:41 – Verstappen in testa
Max takes the lead with an experimental tire.
8.39pm – The provisional top 5
Albon, Verstappen, Pererz, Ricciardo Leclerc
8.34pm – Perez gets off to a good start
Home idol, the Mexican must react at the critical moment: he is third fastest behind Ricciardo and Piastri.
8.28pm – The first free practice starts
Everything is ready for the first free practice of the Mexican GP. There will be tire tests for 2024, with the second free practice at midnight. Here’s how to follow the race
7.48pm – Leclerc must forget about Austin’s disqualification
6.55pm – Ferrari’s technical innovations
(by Giuliano Duchessa) In Mexico City, on a high-altitude track (2,200 meters above sea level) Ferrari is studying countermeasures to let the engine breathe. Among the new parts there is a bonnet with larger vents, but perhaps it will not be fitted because the temperatures are not so high. We plan to use a Hungarian version bonnet. But if conditions require it, the new component is ready to be installed. Last year on the circuit named after the Rodriguez brothers, the Rossa suffered on the power unit front.
5.59pm – Sainz drives after feeling unwell on Thursday
There was apprehension about Carlos Sainz’s condition. The Ferrari driver had missed Thursday’s media appointments, but still showed up in the pits for Friday’s free practice. Maybe not at its best, but it will still be there.
5.50pm – Verstappen’s bodyguards
5.44pm – How to follow the Mexico City Grand Prix
At 8.30pm, with the first free practice, the Mexican Grand Prix, the 19th race of the Formula 1 World Championship, gets underway. The drivers’ and constructors’ classifications have already been won, respectively, by Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Here’s how to follow the race on TV and streaming.
2023-10-27 22:51:05
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