Max Verstappen has received a major blow to his Mexican Grand Prix weekend as two F1 of his rivals have collided in the first session of the weekend.
The Dutchman only managed to set the fourth fastest time after he was forced to return to the garage when his Red Bull experienced power issues, a major setback for the team.
“There’s something wrong with the engine mate. I don’t know… it’s not behaving nice!” Verstappen reported to his team.
If Red Bull’s engine problems persist, it could provide a further issue to Verstappen’s Mexican GP weekend, particularly if McLaren can capitalise on their struggles.
However, it was George Russell and Carlos Sainz who set the top two times in FP1 as they look to have an early advantage.
VCARB star Yuki Tsunoda completed the top three, setting a time half a second quicker than Sergio Perez in the Red Bull as he looks to prove himself worthy of replacing the Mexican racer at the main team.
The session had barely begun before a red flag was waved due to a piece of debris left on the track, with Kimi Antonelli running over it in Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
A second red flag was brought out halfway through the session when Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman, competing for Ferrari in place of Charles Leclerc, collided.
The Williams crashed out at Turn 10 with the Ferrari parked further down the road with suspension damage, after Albon approached the slowed down Ferrari at high speed and lost his car.
Albon swiped Bearman’s car as he lost control which forced both drivers out of the session, returning to the garage.
Ferrari now sit just eight points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, so the performance of both teams in Mexico is vital to the 2024 championship.
FP1 in Mexico also featured five rookies with Antonelli replacing Hamilton, Bearman standing in for Leclerc, Pato O’Ward driving instead Lando Norris, Felipe Drugovich for Fernando Alonso and Robert Shwartzman replacing Zhou Guanyu at Sauber.
F1 FP1 Results: Mexican Grand Prix 2024
1. George Russell [Mercedes] – 1:17.998 secs
2. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari] – +0.317sec
3. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB] – +0.701sec
4. Max Verstappen [Red Bull] – +0.841sec
5. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas] – +0.906sec
6. Oscar Piastri [McLaren] – +0.960sec
7. Esteban Ocon [Alpine] – +0.998sec
8. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber] – +1.050sec
9. Liam Lawson [VCARB] – +1.095sec
10. Sergio Perez [Red Bull] – +1.096sec
11. Franco Colapinto [Williams] – +1.111sec
12. Kimi Antonelli [Mercedes] – +1.202sec
13. Pato O’Ward [McLaren] – +1.297sec
14. Kevin Magnussen [Haas] – +1.337sec
15. Pierre Gasly [Alpine] – +1.342sec
16. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] – +1.602sec
17. Alex Albon [Williams] – +1.814sec
18. Felipe Drugovich [Aston Martin] – +1.821sec
19. Robert Shwartzman [Kick Sauber] – +1.990sec
20. Oliver Bearman [Ferrari] – +3.258sec
Who is the current F1 world champion?
Max Verstappen is the reigning F1 champion, and currently leads the 2024 world drivers’ championship.