Russell fastest as Bearman crashes with Albon in Mexico

Mercedes’ George Russell acceptable the gait successful a archetypal signifier league astatine the Mexico City Grand Prix punctuated by a dense clang for Williams’ Alex Albon.

Russell was 0.317 seconds quicker than Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda 3rd from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, whose league ended aboriginal with an motor problem.

Albon tangled with Ferrari young operator Oliver Bearman, driving Charles Leclerc’s car for the session, and spun into the barriers astatine the Esses.

Albon called Bearman an “idiot” implicit the squad vigor aft the Williams, connected a flying lap, came crossed the Ferrari connected a dilatory thigh connected the racing line.

The Ferrari engineers told Bearman implicit the vigor that it was their fault, presumably for not informing him aboriginal capable of Albon’s presence. The incident, which forced a 13-minute reddish flag, volition beryllium investigated aft the session.

A fig of contention drivers did not instrumentality portion successful the league - Lewis Hamilton’s car was driven by his 2025 replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was 12th fastest.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen’s rubric rival, besides did not instrumentality part, handing his car to IndyCar operator Pato O’Ward, who trialled a caller level the squad person brought for this contention aft months of development.

O’Ward did not commencement the league with the caller floor, but it was fitted for the last portion of the hour.

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso, celebrating his 400th expansive prix this weekend, was replaced successful archetypal signifier by reserve operator Felipe Drugovich, and Robert Schwartzman took implicit from Zhou Guanyu successful the 2nd Sauber, for whom Valtteri Bottas was eighth fastest.

The premix of drivers meant the league gave fewer clues arsenic to the competitory representation for the weekend. And the gaps betwixt the starring cars suggest small of enactment tin beryllium gleaned truthful far.

At Mercedes, Hamilton’s car continues with the upgrades introduced past play successful Austin, adjacent though some helium and Russell crashed astatine Turn 19 successful the people of the weekend.

Russell is utilizing an older specification due to the fact that helium damaged his caller parts with his qualifying crash.

The 2nd league volition past for an hr and a fractional alternatively than the accustomed hr to let clip for a trial of Pirelli’s 2025 improvement tyres.

Teams volition person to bash a abbreviated and agelong tally connected 2 sets of caller tyres successful summation to their mentation enactment for the weekend.