Russell tops rookie and red flag-riddled FP1 in Mexico

George Russell ended a rookie and red flag-riddled opening hour of practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix as the fastest driver, leading over Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda.

Returning to the traditional Grand Prix format, FP1 didn’t get off to its traditionally smooth start at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after the session was red-flagged due to carbon debris on the track. 

After a five-minute timeout in the pitlane, drivers were given the green lights and instantly flooded out of the pit exit. 

Prior to the Red Flag, Oscar Piastri was just one of eight drivers who successfully recorded a lap, albeit significantly off the pace.

When he returned, however, he worked to promote himself despite sliding through the 17 corners.

Sitting in P6, Piastri drifted down the order before being forced into a red flag-induced stay in the pitlane.

When he rejoined the session, he reinstated his place in sixth, complaining of the “terrible” experience in his McLaren which saw him running wide through Turn 12 as he punched in a continuous run.

Sitting nine-tenths behind the benchmark, Piastri ended the opening hour of practice in sixth.

Kickstarting his Mexican campaign, Liam Lawson’s first lap was a 1:22.365s, a time he soon improved on as he jumped into P6.

His first run on the soft tyre boosted him into the midfield before he climbed his way back into the top ten.

Sitting just over a second off the pace, Lawson ended his session in P9, with his teammate showing some positive signs after ending FP1 in the top three.

Liam Lawson during FP1 at the Mexican GP. Image: Steven Tee / LAT Images.

A unique aerodynamic challenge for the drivers, the rest of the field rolled out of the pitlane at the start of FP1 armed with a range of devices and the hard compound tyre to help them come to grips with the thin air and low grip conditions.

With their teammates replaced by their rookie counterparts, George Russell and Carlos Sainz were alone as they launched and achieved ‘fastest’ status on their early FP1 runs.

The Mercedes driver held the top for the opening 20 minutes as the track started to rubber in, with the hard tyre benchmark being a 1:19.519s.

As Sainz shot to the top of the timing sheets, all eyes were on his temporary teammate who found himself involved in a hefty session-ending moment with Alex Albon.

The two cars lay stricken at the exit of Turn 10 with the Williams crushed in the barriers and the Ferrari unable to make it back to the pitlane after Albon misunderstood Ollie Bearman’s movements at Turn 9, losing downforce and connecting with the loaned SF24.

As a result, the Red Flags were back out as the two drivers earned themselves a meeting with the stewards after the session.

Alex Albon before his FP1 crash at the Mexican GP. Image: Dom Romney / LAT Images.

Cars returned to the circuit with less than 25 minutes remaining, racing each other for track position as they undertook their first soft tyre runs of the weekend. 

Sainz held onto the fastest time of the session after his first C5 lap, beating Max Verstappen’s attempt by almost six-tenths.

Before he knew it, Russell had demoted the Spaniard by a similar interval, setting a new benchmark time of 1:17.998s while securing purple Sectors 1 and 2.

In the final 10 minutes, Verstappen reported of engine issues in his RB20, and with smoke flowing out as he sat in the pitlane, the Dutchman’s FP1 came to an early end.

That left the fight for the final spot in the top three wide open, with Yuki Tsunoda the driver to slam the door shut as his time of 1:18.699s secured P3.

Meanwhile, the home hero failed to make himself known within the top ten as he lapped over a second slower than the benchmark, notably behind both RB drivers.

Just two positions behind Sergio Perez, the highest-finishing rookie, Kimi Antonelli, slotted in as the chequered flag on the opening hour of practice was waved.

As for the remaining four rookies, Pato O’Ward ended his first session of the season less than a tenth behind Antonelli in P13.

After his flying laps were interrupted on multiple occasions, Felipe Drugovich fell short of the limit as he ended FP1 in P18, leading Robert Shwartzman and Bearman at the back of the pack.

The upcoming session will see Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Zhou Guanyu and Charles Leclerc returning to their challengers, with the loss of time minimised due to an extended FP2 in Mexico.

FP2 will kick off at 9:00 AM, AEST.

Image: Simon Galloway / LAT Images

Free Practice 1 Results:

2024 Mexico City Grand Prix Schedule:

Saturday, October 26

FP1: 05:30 – 06:30

FP2: 09:00 – 10:30

Sunday, October 27

FP3: 04:30 – 05:30

Qualifying: 08:00 – 09:00

Monday, October 28

Race: 07:00

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