Janice R. Andrews
George Russell emerged as the fastest driver in a disrupted first practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix, posting a leading time of 1m17.998s on soft tires. The Mercedes driver outpaced Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by three-tenths of a second in a session marked by two red flag interruptions.
The morning’s practice faced an early setback when debris on Turn 1 brought out the first red flag just minutes into the session. The more significant disruption came shortly after when Williams’ Alex Albon and Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman were involved in a collision near Turn 9. The incident occurred as Albon, on a flying lap, encountered a slower Bearman, resulting in Albon’s car losing control and making contact before hitting the barriers. This accident caused a 14-minute delay, significantly reducing the available practice time.
In the competitive running, Sainz initially showed strong pace on hard tires before switching to softs, where he posted a 1m18.315s lap. However, this wasn’t enough to challenge Russell’s benchmark time. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda impressed with the third-fastest time, while championship leader Max Verstappen’s session was compromised by power unit issues, forcing him to return to the pits in the closing minutes.
The session saw several young drivers in action, including future Mercedes prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who managed 12th place in Lewis Hamilton’s car. Mexican fan favorite Pato O’Ward, stepping in for Lando Norris at McLaren, finished 13th.
Nico Hulkenberg and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top five, with Piastri reporting challenges with his McLaren’s handling characteristics. The session’s eventful nature sets the stage for what promises to be an exciting race weekend in Mexico City.
