(Motorsports news) Verstappen led Free Practice 1 by 0.095 seconds over Alex Albon’s Williams, and he also led FP2 with a timing of 1m18.686 seconds.
What happened in Mexico GP Free Practice 1?
In the early portion of the practice, drivers used Pirelli’s prototype tires, with Verstappen leading the way on 1m21.858s, half a second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon. After 15 minutes, they switched to mediums, with Verstappen setting the pace on 1m20.245s, although only 0.004s ahead of Albon.
Teams then switched to soft tyres for their final laps, with Verstappen topping Albon by 0.095s in 1m19.718s. Sergio Perez’s second Red Bull was third fastest, two tenths off the pace. Next up were Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).
This practice included five young drivers, with Oliver Bearman setting the 15th fastest time for Haas, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin). AlphaTauri’s Isack Hadjar finished 17th, ahead of Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Mercedes’ Frederik Vesti. Theo Pourchaire drove Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo, however due to a brake issue, he did not complete a timed lap.
What happened in Mexico GP Free Practice 2?
According to FP1, drivers began running on prototype tyres, with Albon edging out Verstappen by 0.01s at 1m20.075s. Verstappen reset the benchmark to 1m19.551s on mediums, the fastest lap of the weekend up to that point, before obliterating it with 1m18.686s on softs just before the halfway mark.
Norris finished 0.119s slower than Charles Leclerc, Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Sergio Perez (Red Bull), and Daniel Ricciardo (Alpha Tauri). Albon finished 14th on softs in this practice, appearing to injure the floor of his car. Rain was expected for the end of the session, so teams sped through their programs. Fernando Alonso took a big spin through the Esses but didn’t strike anything. However, he finished FP2 with the slowest time.
