Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 27, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Following the United States Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, Formula 1 now heads south to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Mexican Grand Prix, where Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen look to continue their form. At the same time, the rest of the grid tries to keep up.
A difference from the week prior, the regular weekend schedule is back with a pair of Free Practice sessions on Friday, a final Free Practice and Qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday. However, one of the biggest news of the weekend is that there will be five different drivers partaking in Free Practice 1 as part of F1’s requirement to have two young drivers participate in Free Practice 1 twice a season. They are as follows:
Ferrari’s junior driver, Oliver Bearman, will take over for Kevin Magnussen’s Haas in FP1 in the number 50. Alpine Academy driver Jack Doohan will take over for Pierre Gasly’s Alpine in the number 61. Frederik Vesti of Mercedes will take over for George Russell’s Mercedes in the number 42. Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver, Theo Pourchaire, will take over for Valtteri Bottas’s Alfa Romeo in the number 98. Finally, Red Bull Junior Team driver Isack Hadjar will take over for Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri in the number 41.
The first practice session went off without incident, as teams could gather as much data as they needed for the rest of the weekend. Red Bull’s Verstappen and home country favorite, Sergio Perez, traded the fastest laps in the early part of the session that ultimately saw the three-time World Champion hold onto the quickest time. Sliding between the two Red Bulls came a surprising visit from the Williams of Alex Albon, who took advantage of the straight-line speed of that car. Lando Norris once again found himself near the front as the resurgent McLaren continued to show itself as a contender in 2024 as the Top 5 on the timing charts were rounded out by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
Teams then turned their attention to the second practice, as all 20 drivers scheduled to participate in the Mexican Grand Prix were to take to the track altogether for the first time all weekend.
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 27, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
As dark clouds and a small amount of rain started to fall on the track, teams set off for another chance to gather as much data as possible. While it may have looked like it could’ve been a washout, it remained still in perfect condition to get in as many laps as possible.
Once again, Verstappen took his Red Bull back to the top of the timing sheets and held it through the rest of the session. Norris closed in a bit in his McLaren while still looking for his first Grand Prix victory, with the Ferrari of Leclerc following behind. A surprising bit of speed out of the Alfa Romeo brought Bottas to the fourth fastest time, while the other Red Bull of Perez rounded out the Top 5.
Teams will now turn their attention before Saturday’s final Practice session and the qualifying rounds to set the grid for the Mexican Grand Prix. Max Verstappen looks to be the man to beat once again, but it remains to be seen if McLaren and Ferrari can take the fight to the Red Bull.
