by John N October 29, 2022, 7:42 pm inUncategorized

2O22 Mexico GP: Russell Heads Mercedes Duo In Final Practice Session

The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell topped the timesheets in Saturday’s second practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, putting a clear message to their rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

The Briton produced a blistering time of one minute eighteen seconds – more than one-and-a-half seconds quicker than his Friday benchmark – on another warm day at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Max Verstappen and Red Bull were Mercedes’ nearest challengers. Still, they left the Dutchman to rue a “terrible” first sector during an early lap on soft tires and “the same problem again” at the start of his second run, which prompted him to back off, recharge, and have another go.

Behind, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took P4 while Carlos Sainz took P6, sandwiching Sergio Perez, who sparked roars from the grandstands every time he completed a lap.

Slidin' into Saturday 👌#MexicoGP @Charles_Leclerc pic.twitter.com/ArbHeLgaiQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 29, 2022

As per the United States, FP3 marked a valuable final hour of track time ahead of qualifying, with five drivers sitting out the first practice for rookies and a second practice dedicated to further evaluating Pirelli’s prototype 2023 tires. Behind the Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari cars, Lando Norris was next up for McLaren.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, and the Williams of Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 positions. Alpine pair Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso were 11th and 13th, respectively; however, they were split by the second Alfa Romeo of Zhou Guanyu. Daniel Ricciardo was 14th, some eight-tenths slower than teammate Norris.

Pierre Gasly cuts the corner (and the grass!)

Catch up with all the key action ahead of qualifying 🎥#MexicoGP #F1

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 29, 2022

Mick Schumacher spun through the esses early in the race but managed to keep it out of the wall and move up three spots from P17. Kevin Magnussen is braced for an engine grid penalty. Still, Nicholas Latifi wound up 18th in the other Williams, with Sebastian Vettel 19th after complaining of a “shocking” balance at the wheel of his Aston Martin. Drivers and teams will now get set for Saturday’s qualifying session in Mexico City, which is scheduled to begin at 1500 local time.