F1 LIVE | Follow FP1 for the Mexican Grand Prix
Live
The first free practice for the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix is about to take place. McLaren will need to hit the ground running as it is now imperative for Lando Norris to make ground his F1 title rival Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver has a 57-point lead. Ferrari will be looking to continue where they left off in the United States while Mercedes will be desperate to make the required improvements.
F1 LIVE | FP1: Mexican Grand Prix
A return to the traditional format (ish)
This triple header of the United States, Mexico and Brazil will feature two sprint weekends. However, in Mexico, the drivers will use the traditional format of three practice sessions, followed by qualifying and the Grand Prix. Therefore, there is less importance on this practice session than there was at COTA last week.
The weather is set to be dry, so teams will be able to find the best setup straight away. This will be particularly important for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell struggled with the balance of the car from the off and never really recovered. Russell did well in the race to recover to P6, but Mercedes changed his car setup overnight. Meanwhile, Hamilton recorded his 32nd career retirement with a spin. Verstappen looked better at COTA but even he admitted changes needed to be made to keep the momentum on McLaren.
Where is Lewis Hamilton?
Many teams opted to field young drivers for FP1 in Mexico. Among others, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc will not participate in the first session. The young drivers joining the session will be Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Robert Shwartzman, Felipe Drugovich. At McLaren, Pato O'Ward will also have the chance to drive the MCL38.
That wouldn't be a big deal, however, in FP2, there will be a 90-minute long Pirelli tyre test, where drivers will have to run with two different soft tyres for the 2025 season. The drivers not taking place will receive an additional medium tyre they can use during 30 minutes. An obstacle that can put many on the backfoot preparing their cars.