Mexican Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Russell at the top of a disrupted session
During a stop-start session, George Russell set the fastest time. Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman collided on track after a misunderstanding. While there were no physical consequences for the drivers, the session was disrupted by a lengthy red flag.
This first practice session of the weekend is for the rookies, if we can still call them that. Oliver Bearman for Ferrari, Patricio O’Ward for McLaren, Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Robert Shwartzman for Sauber and Felipe Drugovich for Aston Martin. Exit Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Guanyu Zhou and Fernando Alonso for this session.
After a few minutes of interruption at the beginning of the session following a red flag, due to debris on the track, the drivers get back behind the wheel to find their marks at the start of the weekend. As lap times drop progressively, with hard tires on all the cars, a new red flag is shown by the marshals. This time, it was a collision between Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman that caused it. The Thai driver lost control of his car in the esses of the second sector and then hit the British driver’s Ferrari, who was positioned on the outside of the racing line. Both drivers are fine. Albon mentioned visual distraction on the radio, while Bearman seems disheartened. The consequences are direct: damaged cars and end of the session for both drivers.
With 24 minutes remaining in the session, the drivers hit the track again. This time, most of them are on red tires, there is no time to waste. And it’s George Russell who immediately makes a strong impression with a 1:17.998, less than a second off last year’s pole time. Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen follow behind the Mercedes driver.
McLaren, in the title race, seems to be struggling in this first session. Oscar Piastri is nearly a second behind George Russell and complains to his engineer about poor grip on the track. Pat O’Ward, on the other hand, leaves his garage about ten minutes before the end of the session, penalized by an issue with his car. He is not the only one facing troubles as a few minutes before the end, Max Verstappen heads back to the pits after stating he has lost power. The Dutch driver takes no chances and prefers to go back to his garage.
The surprise is Yuki Tsunoda’s third place. In Mexican soil, the Japanese hopes to show Red Bull that they will have to rely on him instead of Sergio Perez, who is in a sad 10th place, far behind the leading drivers.
At the end of a staccato session, Russell holds the best time ahead of Sainz and Tsunoda. Complicated to have a clear picture after this session disrupted by two red flags.
