Russell leads and complicated for Checo

The first day that the single-seaters of the F1 teams raced in the Mexico City Grand Prix He left the Mexican fans with two practices in which Checo Pérez finished third in the first (FP1) and fifth in the second test (FP2).

“Yes, it was a difficult day, as usual in Mexico with the altitude, everything is floating, so it is quite easy to make mistakes in these conditions. So in general, I think obviously practice 2 was mainly for Pirellibut in the first one, we got a good base.”

Pérez arrives at his home race in his most successful season in the F1. He won the Monaco and Singapore Grands Prix and took a further seven podium finishes, all second, in 2022.

The Racetrack received 108,961 attendees on Friday, that is, some 11,000 more people than in 2021, on a day in which the teams dealt with more tire tests on an asphalt that reached almost 50 degrees Celsius. Grand Prix directors had announced that the event would be a sold out.

George Russell He put Mercedes at the top of the timesheets during the second practice, marked by a strong crash by Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver, Checo Pérez’s closest competitor in the Drivers’ World Championship, crashed into the barriers at the start of lap 7. The damage to his car was significant at the rear, causing the red flag alert . About 30 minutes into practice had passed and Russell was already the fastest driver.

“To be honest, we were pretty unlucky in the first practice session. I didn’t do many laps, but with a few I was happy with the car. On the second day of testing it was the same in the short runs, then I lost the rear early in the race with a lot of fuel so I had a limited amount of laps but that was my mistake. I am confident that it will not harm our weekend,” explained Leclerc.

Meanwhile, top-placed driver Russell said Mercedes had one of its best Fridays of the season, after setting the early pace on the track, as the team looks to triumph for the first time in 2022. The British driver opened the road on soft tires and explained that his W13 is working well.

“I would like to think that a podium finish is definitely possible. Probably one of the best Fridays of the year, if not the best.”

Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth, was upbeat. The seven-time world champion has just finished second on the podium at the Austin Grand Prix.

“I feel very, very good. Overall, I had a very good session today. I really enjoyed driving around the track. The car just feels better and better as we work on it more and understand it more,” she said.

marisol.rojas@eleconomista.mx