Training in Mexico: Sainz ahead, Verstappen with problems

Verstappen only did a few laps, Sainz the fastest

On Friday, Carlos Sainz gave Ferrari the best time in the first free practice session for the Mexico Grand Prix. The Spaniard drove a 1:19,142 minute lap on the soft tires at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and was almost half a second faster than his pursuers. George Russell was second for Mercedes with a gap of 0.468 seconds, followed by his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez (Red Bull).

Verstappen only completed seven laps

World championship leader Max Verstappen experienced technical problems with his Red Bull after only seven laps and had to park his car. The Dutchman will therefore go into the second practice session in the afternoon with a deficit.

Sainz happy after two difficult races

For Sainz, on the other hand, the good result in Mexico came at just the right time after two difficult races. "That was a solid start to the weekend," said the Spaniard. "The car felt good right away. We had a good pace on both the soft and hard tires. I hope we can confirm that in the second practice session."

Close midfield

Behind the top 4, the midfield is very close together. Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Lando Norris (McLaren) all finished within half a second of each other.

Second practice session starts at 18:00 German time

In the second free practice session, which starts at 18:00 German time, the teams and drivers will continue to fine-tune their cars for Sunday's race.