F1 FP3 Mexican GP 2024 – McLaren dominates once again, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris topping the timings for the final practice session of the weekend.
With five rookies taking part in FP1 and FP2 being largely dedicated to the Pirelli Tyre Test, this final practice session of the 2024 Mexican GP was crucial for many of the drivers.
The First Ten Minutes
George Russell for Mercedes followed the Stake of Valtteri Bottas on to the track.
After hitting the barrier at force at Turn 9 in yesterday’s FP2 session, Russell was now testing a new chassis on the car. The Brit sustained no serious injuries and was only slightly winded after the high-speed crash.
Championship leader Max Verstappen was the first driver to set a timed lap of 1:18.397.
Pierre Gasly followed with a 1:19.947 on a set of medium tyres.
Many of the drivers including Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and home-hero Sergio Perez however were in no rush to leave the pits, studying the data in their garages.
Verstappen was quick to report that he had no rear grip, following on from a series of issues that plagued the driver yesterday. Voicing frustration over a brake issue, as well as suffering from a series of engine issues, Red Bull will be hoping that they are resolved.
With 50 minutes remaining, Russell topped the timings with a 1:18.284, with Lewis Hamilton going into third with a 1:18.988.
Early Lock-Ups
Pierre Gasly went deep at Turn 1, having to cut over the grass to make his way back onto the track after making the same mistake yesterday.
Last weekend’s winner Charles Leclerc also had to abort his first flying lap after suffering from a big lock-up at Turn 4.
Ferrari 1-2… Again
After a Ferrari 1-2 at the American Grand Prix last weekend, the pace still seemed to be impressive.
Carlos Sainz topped the timings with a 1:17. 825, with Leclerc following with a 1:17.889.
Yellow Flag
With 40 minutes of the session left, Liam Lawson spun at the penultimate corner after taking too much curb.
Although he managed to avoid contact with the walls and the other drivers, the double yellow flags were waved until Lawson could find a gap in the traffic to continue.
Tumbling Times
The times were now beginning to tumble, with most of the drivers out on track as the conditions improved.
Leclerc improved his time to a 1:17.616 after finding a purple final sector, going ahead of his teammate Sainz in P1.
On a flying lap, Norris snaps going into Turn 6, with the driver currently standing in P3 with a 1:17.902.
Sainz once again replaced Leclerc at the top of the timings with a 1:17.447.
The top 12 were all separated by just one second, with Stroll +1.006s behind Sainz in first position.
The Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Niko Hulkenberg went into sixth and seventh position respectfully, yet on medium tyres. This once again proves the positive trajectory that the team seem to be on currently.
The Home-Hero
Sergio Perez went fifth with a 1:18.000 for Red Bull, with the Mexican hoping to impress his home-crowd this weekend.
Last year saw Perez DNF at the Mexican GP after colliding with Leclerc at Turn 1 of the opening lap.
The Final 20 Minutes
Argentine Franco Colapinto went into P4 with a 1:17.907 for Williams, with the team sporting a blue and yellow livery this weekend.
He was quickly knocked into P5 by Yuki Tsunoda with a 1:17.834 for RB.
Verstappen topped the timings once again with a 1:17.003, with Perez falling into P5 with a 1:17.787.
Norris goes quickest by nearly half a second with a 1:16.551 for McLaren, finding a purple sector one and two.
He is quickly replaced by his teammate Piastri with a 1:16.492. If McLaren can lock-out the front of the grid today, it will be the team’s 50th 1-2 in F1 history.
The Ferrari of Sainz went into P3 with a 1:16.832 with just nine minutes to go, with the pace of the Mclaren appearing untouchable.
Second Yellow Flag
With just over two minutes remaining, a yellow flag was waved as Perez went wide on the entry to the Estadio section.
He was able to quickly rejoin the track, with the Mexican remaining in 14th position.
Oscar Piastri topped the timings with a 1:16.492 for McLaren, closely followed by his teammate Lando Norris with a 1:16.551. Carlos Sainz completes the top three with a 1:16.832 for Ferrari.
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F1 FP3 Mexican GP 2024