- The Ferrari driver topped FP2, setting the best time of the day.
- Pato O’Ward completed 21 laps for McLaren during Practice 1, and Checo Pérez finished 9th in FP2.
- 107,865 fans filled the stands during the first day of the F1ESTA.
Mexico City, 25 October 2024 – Spaniard Carlos Sainz was the fastest driver on day one of the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2024 Presented by Heineken at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, setting a time of 1:17.699 during Practice 2.
Before a crowd of 107,865 fans, the Ferrari team driver was very consistent in his 34 laps around the 4.304-km track and became the man to beat in a session marked by a red flag and tyre tests as part of Pirelli’s development for the 2025 season.
With just 13 minutes left in the session, George Russell caught the kerb in the “esses” section, lost control of his Mercedes, and crashed into the barrier to bring out a red flag. The British driver was able to get out of the car on his own and was taken to the track’s medical centre for a routine check-up.
After a 23-minute pause while the barriers were being repaired, the drivers got back the track to continue looking for the optimum setup.
The next best time after Sainz was clocked by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, 0.178 seconds behind, followed by VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda, 0.179 seconds back (one thousandth of a second behind Piastri). Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren) set the fourth and fifth fastest times, respectively.
Rounding out the top 10 were Kevin Magnussen (Haas), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Valtteri Bottas (Stake), Mexico’s Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing), and Liam Lawson (VCARB).
The second free practice session lasted 90 minutes, 30 minutes longer than usual, with the last half hour devoted to Pirelli tyre testing as the manufacturer continues developing the compounds that will be used next season.
Max Verstappen was forced to stop his RB20 halfway through the session due to problems with the power unit, so he was not able to set a competitive time. The Argentinean Franco Colapinto, driving for Williams, set the 15th fastest time.
The first practice session was led by George Russell and saw four Latin drivers taking to the track: Sergio Perez, Franco Colapinto, Pato O’Ward (McLaren), and Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin). The session featured a significant number of reserve/test drivers, including Oliver Bearman (Ferrari), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), and Robert Shwartzman (Stake).
The session gave Pato an opportunity to support McLaren in his role as reserve and development driver. The British team currently leads the constructors’ championship. Pato did a total of 21 laps and made a favourable impression on the Woking team.
“I was only able to push hard for four or five laps. It was not enough, I was king of left wanting more,” said the Monterrey-born driver.
In FP1, Russell led from Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Yuki Tsunoda (RB) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull); Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) rounded out the top five. Checo finished 10th. Meanwhile, the fastest time among the reserve drivers was set by Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished 12th.
Support Races
In the morning, the on-track action was supplemented by practice and qualifying sessions for the GTM Super Cup, Masters Historic Racing, and Formula 4 NACAM Championship support categories.
Mexican Grand Prix ambassador Ivanna Richards put in an outstanding performance. The 16-year-old driver qualified 8th and 11th for the two races of the GTM Super Copa touring car category.
On Saturday, Practice 3 is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. local time, and qualifying will be held at 3:00 p.m.
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About CIE:
With its origins in 1990, Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (“CIE”) (BMV: CIE) is a leading player in the Latin American out-of-home entertainment industry and has contributed in making Mexico a world-class destination in the field.
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Through its strategic partnership with Live Nation at OCESA, it produces and promotes concerts, music festivals, Broadway-type theatrical and urban content productions, sporting, family and corporate events. It represents artistic talent, markets advertising rights and sponsorships, operates entertainment properties, the Citibanamex exhibition, congress and convention center, sells tickets through its Ticketmaster and Eticket platforms, and offers digital marketing and advertising services.
