2024 F1 Round 20 Mexico City GP FP1 — Russell fastest with 1:17.998, Tsunoda third, Albon crash brings red flag as Verstappen battles engine trouble

The first practice session for the 2024 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, round 20 of the season, took place in the early hours of 26 October, Beijing time, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, around 2,285 metres above sea level. Mercedes driver George Russell led with a 1:17.998. Carlos Sainz was second, 0.317 seconds behind, followed by RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in third and Max Verstappen in fourth.

The session was interrupted by two red flags. Just five minutes in, debris appeared on the racing line before Turn 1, prompting a stoppage so marshals could clear it. Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli ran over some debris and damaged his floor. The second red flag followed a collision. On a flying lap, Alex Albon caught the slower Oliver Bearman at Turn 9 and suddenly lost control as he tried to pass. His right-rear struck Bearman’s left-front before he went straight into the barriers. The session was stopped for around 15 minutes and resumed with 24 minutes remaining. The stewards later determined that neither driver was at fault.

Verstappen completed just 14 laps as he struggled with engine power problems, repeatedly reporting over the radio that ‘there is something wrong with the engine, no power’. Home driver Sergio Pérez finished tenth. Both McLarens struggled. Oscar Piastri was only sixth, 0.960 seconds off the pace, and admitted that it ‘felt pretty bad, to be honest I don’t know where the problem is’. Local rookie Pato O’Ward, standing in for Lando Norris, was 13th.

Five young drivers took part in the session. Besides O’Ward, Mercedes’ Antonelli was 12th, Aston Martin’s Felipe Drugovich 18th, Sauber’s Robert Shwartzman 19th and Ferrari’s Bearman last. Bearman was the driver involved in the collision with Albon, while Shwartzman received a five-place grid penalty for overtaking Tsunoda under double yellow flags. Tsunoda’s third place and team-mate Liam Lawson’s ninth, around 0.4 seconds behind Tsunoda, gave RB a bright start in its fight with Haas for sixth in the constructors’ championship. Nico Hülkenberg was fifth in this session. Second practice was due to take place later that morning, Beijing time.