Sergio Perez will be eyeing a dream victory on home soil at the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend.
The Red Bull driver has endured a difficult few months and has not won since Azerbaijan in April. His team-mate Max Verstappen, however, has won 15 races this season and has already sealed his third world title.
Verstappen was triumphant last week at the US Grand Prix in Austin where Lewis Hamilton – who finished second – was disqualified alongside for an illegal floor.
came home third, but was promoted to second after Hamilton’s DSQ, for his 12th podium in F1 but the McLaren driver is still chasing his first win. Verstappen won last year’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Follow updates from the Mexican Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 MEXICAN GRAND PRIX – PRACTICE
- Second practice in Mexico City started at 11pm (BST)
- Max Verstappen fastest in first practice;
2nd; Perez 3rd
BREAKING:
- handed grid penalty for Sunday’s race
- Max Verstappen urges fans to show him respect ahead of feisty Mexican Grand Prix
- EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW – F1 icon Willy T Ribbs: ‘There were death threats – but I was never going to play the victim’
Max Verstappen goes fastest
23:40 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen up top with a 1:18:686 on his quickest soft tyre run.
Lando Norris – 0.119 secs down – in second, with Charles Leclerc third, two-tenths behind Verstappen. That McLaren there or thereabouts once again!
4-10: Bottas, Perez, Ricciardo, Hamilton, Ocon, Piastri, Russell
Closing 20 minutes of Friday practice now…
Fernando Alonso has a spin!
23:27 , Kieran Jackson
The two-time world champion goes for a bit of a spin in sector two but manages to keep his Aston Martin out of the wall!
Oscar Piastri now top of the leaderboard, as the times start to tumble with the pack switching to soft tyres.
(Getty Images)
It’s raining in Mexico City!
23:10 , Kieran Jackson
Who saw this coming?! It’s 39C but it has started spitting in Mexico City!
Very light so far, but Max Verstappen confirms it on team radio.
Nevertheless, the Dutchman is top of the timesheets with a 1:20:085 in the first 10 minutes, with Lando Norris 0.024 secs off in second. Alex Albon is third, 0.273 secs off P1.
4-10: Leclerc, Ricciardo, Sainz, Zhou, Perez, Sargeant, Piastri
FP2 underway in Mexico City!
23:00 , Kieran Jackson
Time for second practice to get underway in Mexico City!
It’s also the first running of the day for George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Valtteri Bottas after they were absent from FP1 due to their cars being taken by rookies.
Can anyone topple Max Verstappen? Alex Albon’s Williams was the closest man earlier!
There is also a threat of rain in this session…
Source: ESTO
