Mexican Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Ferrari in great shape

If the spotlights are turned towards the sanctions imposed on Red Bull regarding the budget cap, the Formula 1 season continues with the Mexican Grand Prix. And even though the suspense is already over with Max Verstappen’s second consecutive victory, there are still other interesting battles in the standings.

The end is approaching and there are only three races left. The teams and drivers must give it their all, starting with the first free practice session. It was a somewhat uneventful session in which the two Ferraris generally dominated ahead of Red Bull. On his part, Max Verstappen even had a little scare as he spun out while attempting to set the fastest time.

Max spins in the twits and turns of the final sector 😵‍💫

He almost catches the slide, but ends up facing the wrong way#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/tcnDZjKPjz

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2022

Carlos Sainz set the fastest time of the session (1’20’707), ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc (+0.046″). In front of his home crowd, Sergio Perez could only manage a third place to start the weekend (+0.120″). It is worth noting the strong performances of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who finished within two tenths of a second.

Two red flags to liven up the session

Twenty minutes before the end of the session, Pietro Fittipaldi had to stop on the track, causing a red flag. The driver, who was replacing Kevin Magnussen for the session, encountered a problem with his car. Once the car was off the track, the drivers were finally able to continue their laps. As for Pierre Gasly, he positioned himself in 9th place. It is worth noting that several rookies drove during this first session.

🚩 RED FLAG 🚩

Liam Lawson’s brakes cry enough, and they catch fire as the Kiwi comes into the stadium section

He’s out of the car and OK, but the session won’t resume#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/tS28TZFqkc

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2022

While the drivers were hoping for a normal start procedure as usual, Liam Lawson’s race car also had a mechanical issue, bringing the session to an end. The mechanics will therefore have work to do before the start of the next session.

The ranking of the first free practice session.