Charles Leclerc is unharmed after crashing into second practice for the Mexican GP following a one-two finish for Ferrari in the first, while Mercedes’ George Russell sets the pace
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Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari backwards into the barriers in the second practice for the Mexican Grand Prix on Friday, with teams testing next year’s Pirelli Formula One tires.
George Russell set the pace for Mercedes as one of three drivers on standard soft tires for part of the 90-minute session after handing their cars over to reserve drivers and juniors for first practice.
The Briton drove with a best time of one minute 19,970 seconds, 0.828 faster than AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and 1.207 faster than Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari backwards into the crash barriers in the second practice
He brought the session to a halt for repairs to the barrier when he swerved hard at turn seven
The Monagasque driver was unharmed after the big crash during Friday’s second practice
George Russell set the pace for Mercedes with a best time of one minute 19.970 seconds
Leclerc brought the session to a halt for repairs to the barrier when he swerved badly in turn seven.
Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou also raised red flags late in the session.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had led Leclerc in a team one-two after the first hour-long session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The Spaniard’s time was then 1:20.707 seconds with Leclerc 0.046 slower.
Carlos Sainz finished first in the first practice of the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City
Both championships have already been won by Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team, but during Sunday’s high-altitude race, Dutch driver and team-mate Sergio Perez will each chase their own first.
Perez could become the first Mexican to win his home race, while Verstappen is chasing a record 14th win in a single season, as the team will not be penalized for breaking last year’s cost cap.
Both recorded exactly the same lap time in the first session, 1:20.827.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez could become the first Mexican to win his home race this week
Perez then finished fifth and Verstappen sixth in the later stint.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was still chasing his first win of the season with three races to go, was fifth and fourth respectively.
Several young riders took to the track during the first session, including Australian Jack Doohan, son of motorcycle racer Mick, at Alpine.
The first session saw several young drivers on track, including Jack Doohan at Alpine
However, the 19-year-old’s practice debut was cut short amid concerns about the power unit in the car Esteban Ocon will be racing.
The red flags stopped twice that session, once when Haas’ Brazilian reserve Pietro Fittipaldi suffered an engine failure and then at the end when New Zealand Red Bull junior Liam Lawson pulled the brakes of his AlphaTauri on fire.
Williams had Logan Sargeant back in their car while Mercedes gave reserve Nyck de Vries, along with AlphaTauri, another run next year.