The Mexican Grand Prix weekend has already started at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with the first and second free practice sessions. Unlike the last two Grands Prix weekends, where teams would start a sprint Saturday, F1 drivers get another 60 minutes of practice with FP3. Will Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren be able to challenge Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Red Bull in qualifying later today? Follow all of the action in the live blog below.
F1 LIVE | FP3: Mexican Grand Prix
Traditional Formula 1 weekend
The last two F1 weekends, in Qatar and the United States (Austin, Texas), have been sprint race weekends. This means that over the last two race weekends, teams have only had 120 minutes of practice combined. Ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, teams will get 120 minutes of practice split into two sessions on Friday alone. A third free practice session lasting one hour will now take place.
This will come as a welcome relief to the drivers, engineers and strategy teams. Both Mercedes and Ferrari were caught out by the lack of practice because they ran their cars too low to the ground. This caused too much wear on the skid plank and were disqualified as a result. Aston Martin rolled out with new upgrades in Austin but only had a handful of laps to practice due to car problems. Despite this and a pitlane start, Aston Martin scored good points.
Historically, Verstappen had the best chance for a win in Mexico compared to most other circuits. This was due to his engine being strong in the thin air at high altitude and the twisty Mexico City circuit. These days, that is no longer considered the main reason. The RB19, designed by Adrian Newey, is a rock-solid F1 car, especially with Verstappen at the wheel.
At the same time, it is abundantly clear that Red Bull have set all their sights on 2024 after winning both titles. This has brought the competition closer, as was particularly evident in Singapore and at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Meanwhile, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin must remain focused on the current car, as they are all still fighting for positions two to four in the constructors' championship. They are also gathering important data for 2024. Mercedes introduced new upgrades last time out and will see if the performance increase is also felt in Mexico.
