Author Archives: PressBox

Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix is set for 3 p.m. local time Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with the session determining the starting grid for Sunday’s 71-lap race. Practice times pointed to a tight pole battle among Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, while Kimi Antonelli can clinch the F1 drivers’ title in Sunday’s race if he finishes ninth or better.

Charles Leclerc topped both Friday practice sessions, leading FP2 with a 1:17.827 lap, 0.103 seconds ahead of Lando Norris and 0.106 ahead of George Russell. Antonelli finished fourth in FP2. In final practice, Norris was quickest with a 1:17.600 lap, finishing 0.001 seconds ahead of Antonelli. Leclerc was third, followed by Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Russell. Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

Verstappen and Lawson each received a one-place grid penalty after their FP2 collision. Haas also made a change for the rest of the weekend, replacing Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa.

Charles Leclerc paced Mexico City Grand Prix practice for Ferrari, topping both Friday sessions with a 1:18.128 in Free Practice 1 and a 1:17.827 in Free Practice 2 as Ferrari completed a clean sweep of the day. Kimi Antonelli was second in FP1, 0.659 seconds behind Leclerc, while Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti was third. Ferrari was the only team to keep its regular lineup in FP1, which featured 10 rookies, and Jak Crawford triggered a Virtual Safety Car after stopping with a suspected ERS or power-unit problem.

Leclerc’s Friday run continued in FP2, where George Russell placed third, Antonelli was fourth and Max Verstappen finished fifth. Lewis Hamilton’s session ended early after a power-unit failure, leaving him 11th. FP2 also saw a red flag after contact between Verstappen and Liam Lawson, which damaged Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Lando Norris led Free Practice 3 with a 1:17.600 lap, just 0.001 seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Leclerc third and Oscar Piastri fourth. Isack Hadjar, Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10. Gabriel Bortoleto did not set a time because of a power-unit problem, Sergio Pérez also failed to set a time after a precautionary power-unit change, and Ryo Hirakawa finished 19th after replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas.

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson clashed in Free Practice 2 ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix in the stadium section of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez after both had missed FP1, scattering debris and bringing out a brief red flag. Verstappen finished fifth in the session and Lawson ninth, and both drivers were referred to the stewards afterward. Verstappen said Lawson’s move was unnecessary and “not very smart,” adding that he had been trying to make up for lost running after issues with his car and that the contact left his Red Bull with bargeboard damage and a loss of downforce.

Lawson’s car was also damaged and he pitted for a new front wing, while he said over the radio that Verstappen had driven into him. Verstappen said Lawson should “act a little bit smarter” because he was “fighting for your seat,” but Racing Bulls team principal Alan Permane called the clash unnecessary and said it would not affect Lawson’s future with the team, even as his place at Racing Bulls remained uncertain.

Red Bull brought a potential fix to the Mexico City Grand Prix after a deep dive into the team radio problems that have affected Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar in recent races. Verstappen called the recurring communication issues “a bit weird” after they surfaced again at the United States Grand Prix, where Hadjar said he had “poor radio” and nearly pitted at the wrong time.

Laurent Mekies said Red Bull’s communication was already at a much better level on Friday in Mexico and that the team’s running showed improvement on both cars. He said he hoped the radio issue was now fixed, though he also said Red Bull did not fully understand why the problem kept happening. Verstappen said the radio was better in Austin, with most of the communication getting through, and said the team was trying to fix the problem as soon as possible.

The issue came as Red Bull entered the Mexico Grand Prix third in the constructors’ standings and level on points with McLaren. Verstappen arrived in Mexico after finishing third in Austin, following back-to-back wins in the previous two races, and was also chasing second place in the drivers’ championship. Mekies described Red Bull’s Austin weekend as average and said Sunday had been untidy.

Haas replaced Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the rest of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, announcing the change Saturday morning. Hirakawa had already driven Ocon’s VF-26 in Friday morning practice under Formula 1’s rookie FP1 requirement, finished 15th in that session and was set to take part in final practice, qualifying and Sunday’s 71-lap race for his Formula 1 debut. Ocon returned for second practice and finished 13th.

Haas said it would not give a reason for the swap and confirmed it was not related to illness. The change followed a dispute between Ocon and race engineer Laura Mueller over tire strategy. Hirakawa, a former Super GT champion and a two-time World Endurance Championship title winner with Toyota, has also won the Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota. Ocon is already due to leave Haas at the end of the season, and Ferrari junior Rafael Camara is expected to replace him next year.

Red Bull brought a fresh set of technical upgrades to the Mexico City Grand Prix as the team prepared for the circuit’s high altitude, which Laurent Mekies said could create a “one-off” competitive order. Mekies said teams at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez would need unusual compromises on power unit performance and cooling, but added that Red Bull had not seen any unforeseen altitude-related issues so far and that it was still too early to know whether the team would have an advantage or a deficit.

Red Bull was the only front-running team bringing performance updates to the weekend, while many others added cooling louvres for the thin air in Mexico City. Red Bull’s package included extra cooling provisions, a reworked engine cover, a revised sidepod design and an altered floor-to-sidepod split line to improve airflow and downforce. The team said the changes were designed to work with its existing sidepod layout while preserving balance, and Audi was the only other team making a performance update that weekend.

The upgrades came as Red Bull and McLaren were level on 355 points, with the teams tied on wins at two apiece. Max Verstappen was fourth in the drivers’ championship, five points behind Lewis Hamilton and six behind George Russell, and said his main priority was Red Bull’s battle with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ standings.

Red Bull is also building a new wind tunnel at its Milton Keynes headquarters to replace its older Bedford facility. The new tunnel is expected to become operational during 2027, with its influence likely to be felt in the second half of the 2027 car program and through most of 2028 development.