Carlos Sainz topped FP1 for the Mexican Grand Prix, but the top six drivers were covered by just 0.192 seconds as the teams looked very close.
Charles Leclerc followed just behind his team-mate, ahead of Red Bull duo Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso completing a tight top six.
The dominant topic of conversation in Mexico City was Red Bull’s punishment for breaching the 2021 cost cap, with the FIA fining the team $7 million as well as a 10% deduction of allowed time in their wind tunnel to test new aerodynamic parts, which team principal Christian Horner predicts could cost them up to half a second per lap in 2023.
But in terms of on-track action, FP1 was a key session for the drivers. With FP2s being reserved for a 90-minute tire test for 2023 Pirelli tyres, early testing represented the best opportunity for teams to perfect their set-up in representative conditions.
As at Austin, there have been several driver swaps worth noting, with Logan Sargeant having another shot at the wheel at Williams as he seeks to build up the FIA Super License points needed to race alongside Alex Albon next year, taking on the Thai-British driver’s FW44. for the session.
Meanwhile, incoming AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries took the wheel of George Russell’s Mercedes as they filled one of their ‘rookie’ FP1 slots for the season, with Pietro Fittipaldi replacing Kevin Magnussen at Hass.
Good to see Nyck Debris getting exhausted again in FP1. The child has talent 😬#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/F4lb29yrcX
– PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 28, 2022
At AlphaTauri, Red Bull junior Liam Lawson took over the seat from Yuki Tsunoda for the second time this season, while alpine junior Jack Doohan, son of motorcycle racing legend Mick, raced in Esteban’s A522 Ocon.
Red Bull looked unfazed in their early on-track performance, however, with Verstappen and local hero Perez – who received a delighted welcome as he left the pits – more than a second clear of the chasing pack in the 15 first minutes of the session. , Verstappen with a time of 1:22.291.
Lawson struggled early on, reporting that his brakes were “completely gone” as he looked to slow for Turn 1 – the heaviest braking zone on the track.
After initially running on hard tyres, the field switched to soft and Leclerc set a new benchmark with a 1:21.546.
This was still over three seconds slower than the 1:18.341 set by Valtteri Bottas in FP1 last season, perhaps a sign that the altitude and thinner air in Mexico highlighted the biggest differences. between current and previous iterations of Formula 1 cars so far. , the ground effect aerodynamics of the 2022 challengers relying on air flowing under the car to generate downforce.
But it wasn’t long before the drivers started to find more time, with Leclerc falling within 1:20 with his second race on soft tires and others following suit making big jumps from their fastest laps. faster on the hard.
One driver unable to get the most out of the soft tires was Zhou Guanyu, who got stuck at the end of pit lane as he couldn’t upshift to move around the track.
Due to narrowly overshooting the pit exit line, his Alfa Romeo mechanics were unable to rescue him, leaving Zhou sitting helpless in his car until the marshals could lead him back into the pit lane a few minutes later.
A rare but harmless spin came for Verstappen at Turn 11, losing control as he tried to struggle with his car, before the session was red flagged shortly after as Fittipaldi stopped his car at Turn 2 with a steaming power unit in the back of his Haas.
The interruption only lasted around five minutes, but both Ferrari drivers led the way as the peloton looked to make the most of what was available to them in FP1.
The drivers largely opted for FP2-style long-term simulations towards the end of the session, with the Pirelli tire test coming in the later session and wasting their usual chances of doing a longer stint.
Danke Seb 💙 pic.twitter.com/G5RwPvBovK
—Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 28, 2022
Another lock-up for Lawson in Turn 4 showed his brake problems had not eased, before coming to a full stop when his AlphaTauri’s left front brake overheated before bursting into flames as the marshals headed towards him.
That ended the session for good, but if FP1’s tight lap times continue on Saturday, it could be a hotly contested weekend.
FP1 ranking
1 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari 1:20.707
2 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.046
3 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +0.120
4 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing +0.120
5 Lewis HAMILTONMercedes +0.142
6 Fernando ALONSO Alpine +0.192
7 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +0.376
8 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.413
9 Stone GASLY AlphaTauri +0.603
10 Sebastien VETTEL Aston Martin +0.818
11 Daniel RICCIARDO McLaren +1.055
12 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +1.113
13 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +1.158
14 Mick SCHUMACHER Haas F1 Team +1,245
15 Nicolas LATIFI Williams +2.205
16 Liam LAWSON Alpha Tauri +3,154
17 Logan SARGEANT Williams +3.539
18 Nyck DE VRIESMercedes +3.875
19 Jack DOOHAN Alpine +3.908
20 Pietro FITTIPALDI Haas F1 Team +6.059
Read more: The full FIA report into Red Bull’s 2021 budget cap breach
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