George Russell tops FP1 after big Alex Albon-Ollie Bearman CLASHED i...

George Russell tops FP1 after big Alex Albon-Ollie Bearman CLASHED i…read more

In an action-packed first practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, George Russell emerged as the fastest driver, despite a significant incident that halted the session involving Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman. The drama unfolded at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez when Albon, driving his Williams, lost control entering the esses. His car snapped on entry, causing him to spin and collide with Bearman’s Ferrari, eventually crashing heavily into the barriers at Turn 10. Fortunately, both drivers were unharmed in the collision, although the session was delayed for a substantial period as track officials cleared the wreckage.

After the resumption, Mercedes’ Russell took full advantage of the soft compound tyres, clocking the fastest lap of FP1. He ended the session 0.317 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who managed the second-best time. Yuki Tsunoda, driving his Red Bull, secured third place with a lap time 0.701 seconds slower than Russell’s leading mark. Red Bull’s star driver, Max Verstappen, had a quieter session, finishing fourth, eight-tenths behind the leader’s pace.

Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg delivered a solid performance, landing in fifth, closely followed by McLaren’s rookie Oscar Piastri. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon secured seventh position, with Valtteri Bottas placing his Sauber in eighth. The top ten was completed by Liam Lawson in a Red Bull and Mexico’s own Sergio Perez, who finished tenth.

A notable performance came from Mercedes’ stand-in driver, Kimi Antonelli, who was the quickest among the rookies taking part in the opening practice. He was substituting for Lewis Hamilton in the session and finished in 12th place. Antonelli, however, had an early setback when he struck a piece of debris on the main straight, leading to a red flag to allow the track to be cleaned. Despite this, he managed to recover and complete the session.

Franco Colapinto, filling in for Williams, finished just outside the top ten in 11th, showing impressive form. Meanwhile, Pato O’Ward, driving Lando Norris’s McLaren, placed 13th, offering a competitive pace as he gets more experience in F1 machinery. Among other rookies, Felipe Drugovich of Aston Martin ended the session in 18th, just ahead of Robert Shwartzman in the Sauber, who took 19th. Bearman, after his crash, could not set a competitive time and was classified as the slowest of the session.

Red Bull faced some mechanical concerns during FP1, specifically with Verstappen’s car. A potential power unit issue emerged, though the team stated that it was an older specification engine from Verstappen’s available pool, suggesting no immediate risk to his weekend performance.

The first practice set the stage for an intriguing weekend in Mexico, with Mercedes displaying promising early speed, while Red Bull, typically dominant, seemed to be managing some technical challenges. The combination of rookies and seasoned drivers battling on the high-altitude circuit added another layer of unpredictability to the competition. With repairs needed for the damaged cars and technical assessments underway, the upcoming sessions promise more excitement and clearer indications of the pecking order heading into qualifying.