This session has finished. No further updates will be posted.
First practice for the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix is coming up next
There are only three conventional weekends left this year, and one of those is Las Vegas where drivers will want to maximise their practice time, so it’s no surprise that half the teams have chosen to use this session to run junior drivers. This session will feature Andrea Kimi Antonelli in action for Mercedes, Oliver Bearman for Ferrari, Pato O’Ward for McLaren, Felipe Drugovich for Aston Martin and Robert Shwartzman for Sauber.
Among the regular drivers sitting out this session while the rookies have a go is Fernando Alonso, for whom this is his 400th grand prix weekend. He is the most experience driver in F1 history – no one has ever reached a quadruple-century of participations before.
Bearman is among the drivers lined up at the pit exit, he’s in Charles Leclerc’s car, with a large aero rake strapped to the front of it. The long straights at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez are useful for gathering aerodynamic data although the air is unusually thin.
The session has begun and the track is filling up quickly. Hard tyres all around – Pirelli nominate their softest selection for this race.
Red flag: there’s debris on the main straight. Andrea Kimi Antonelli ran over it and Max Verstappen reported he did too.
Pato O’Ward is in Lando Norris’ car for this session. McLaren have a new floor this weekend, but only one example, which Norris is due to use from second practice.
First practice has resumed with 50 minutes left on the clock. Max Verstappen is fastest so far on a 1’20.970.
The pace-setter remains in the garage for now, however, his Red Bull crew checking his floor closely after he reported hitting debris.
Carlos Sainz Jnr has lowered the best time to a 1’19.942 – but George Russell beats that now by a tenth of a second. The track is clearly still very dirty, lots of dust being kicked up by the cars.
Pierre Gasly reports something smells like it’s “cooking” in his car. Lance Stroll appears to have a problem too, he’s out of his car and has taken his balaclava off.
Russell lowers the best time to a 1’19.519, but Sainz takes it back from him by a tenth of a second. Alexander Albon a strong third at the moment.
Bearman and Albon have collided! Albon’s in a barrier and Bearman has stopped with damage. We have our second red flag. Both drivers are out of their cars.
Replay shows Albon lost control of his car as he approached Bearman, trying to avoid the Ferrari, and made contact with him, then spinning into the barriers. “Idiot,” fumes Albon.
Bozzi: “Sorry, that was Albon.”
Bearman: “He hit me, he hit me. I’m out.”
Bozzi: “Are you okay?”
Bearman: “Yeah I’m fine.”
Robert Shwartzman witnessed the Bearman-Albon crash: “Oh my God, big one, big one. Oh my God I think Bearman did something to someone.” Extensive barrier repairs going on now with less than half of the session remaining.
Shwartzman is under investigation for overtaking under yellow flags.
First practice has restarted with 24 minutes remaining. McLaren appear to be swapping the floor on O’Ward’s car – taking advantage of the red flag to put the new floor on early?
Drivers have switched to the soft tyre now. Sainz keeps Verstappen behind him before setting off to produce a 1’18.573. Verstappen goes two-tenths slower, then Russell smashes Sainz’s time with a 1’17.998.
O’Ward does a run on the softs, a 1’19.295 puts him 13th.
Verstappen: “There’s something wrong with the engine, mate. No power.”
Verstappen has returned to the pits and it looks like his session is over.
With just under two minutes to go no one is improving their times so this session looks likely to end with Russell fastest.
The chequered flag drops and Russell is quickest in first practice ahead of Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda, who just had a lock-up going through the Foro Sol stadium.
That concludes our coverage of this session, here’s the report and full run-down of the times
2024 Mexican Grand Prix
- McLaren have no regrets over pitting Norris shortly before red flag came out
- Leclerc fined, avoids same penalty as Verstappen after apologising for swearing
- Leclerc not in the clear over swearing as Verstappen claims he went unpunished
- Majority of drivers wanted racing rules to change “straight away” – Russell
- Verstappen was “over the limit” with Norris but others would do same – Leclerc
