Formula 1: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 in final practice

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The final practice of the weekend in Mexico saw another face on top of the time sheets as Oscar Piastri led a McLaren 1-2 ahead of teammate Lando Norris and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. In what was a more mellow session compared to Friday’s running, the uninterrupted hour gave teams plenty of time to tweak cars and setups as those who lost out on running, such as the Williams of Alex Albon, were able to catch up on their run programs in anticipation of the evening’s knockout qualifying session.

Along with Albon, the Mercedes team broke the imposed evening curfew in an attempt to ready George Russell’s W15 after his massive shunt in FP2 with the team opting to replace the entire chassis in the process as they were able to avoid any further penalties for engine or gearbox replacements. Elsewhere, Red Bull seemed to have solved Max Verstappen’s lingering power and brake issues  as an air intake issue was identified, forcing mechanics to replace his power unit with an older one.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the action from FP3 in Mexico as Piastri sets the pace ahead of Norris

Though Russell and Verstappen were quick to take to the track in an effort to recover lost time from Friday, it was Carlos Sainz who paced the field, over a tenth quicker than teammate LeClerc as Lando Norris and Sergio Perez followed close behind. As drivers swapped over for another soft-tire run, the pace improved even further as Verstappen joined the fray at the top of the sheets before a stunning lap by Oscar Piastri knocked everyone down with teammate Norris 0.059s behind.

Despite improvements further down the field, the McLaren duo remained at the top through the remainder of the session as Sainz and Verstappen ended their day third and forth respectively. Lewis Hamilton had an uneventful session in fifth, though he expressed surprise at the pace of the McLarens as he was nearly six-tenths off the pace. Charles LeClerc ended sixth in front of the RB of Yuki Tsunoda and Mercedes of George Russell as Kevin Magnussen and Liam Lawson rounded out the final spots in the top 10.

All eyes now turn to qualifying as teams vie for the top position in spite of the poor record of pole to victory conversions at the circuit. Catch all the drama live at 4:30 local time.

Free Practice 1 Report – CLICK HERE

Free Practice 2 Report – CLICK HERE

FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2024 Schedule

DateSessionTime (Local Circuit)
Oct. 25thPractice 112:30 – 13:30
Practice 216:00 – 17:00
Oct. 26thPractice 311:30 – 12:30
Qualifying15:00 – 16:00
Oct. 27thRace14:00

Free Practice 3 Results:

Pos

No

Driver

Car

Time

Gap

Laps

1

81

Oscar Piastri

McLaren Mercedes

1:16.492

18

2

4

Lando Norris

McLaren Mercedes

1:16.551

+0.059s

18

3

55

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:16.832

+0.340s

21

4

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:17.003

+0.511s

26

5

44

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:17.060

+0.568s

21

6

16

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:17.232

+0.740s

24

7

22

Yuki Tsunoda

RB Honda RBPT

1:17.302

+0.810s

20

8

63

George Russell

Mercedes

1:17.341

+0.849s

28

9

20

Kevin Magnussen

Haas Ferrari

1:17.474

+0.982s

19

10

30

Liam Lawson

RB Honda RBPT

1:17.494

+1.002s

23

11

23

Alexander Albon

Williams Mercedes

1:17.511

+1.019s

19

12

77

Valtteri Bottas

Kick Sauber Ferrari

1:17.639

+1.147s

25

13

43

Franco Colapinto

Williams Mercedes

1:17.712

+1.220s

18

14

11

Sergio Perez

Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT

1:17.787

+1.295s

19

15

14

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes

1:17.798

+1.306s

23

16

27

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas Ferrari

1:17.819

+1.327s

20

17

18

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes

1:17.900

+1.408s

26

18

31

Esteban Ocon

Alpine Renault

1:18.324

+1.832s

19

19

24

Zhou Guanyu

Kick Sauber Ferrari

1:18.428

+1.936s

18

20

10

Pierre Gasly

Alpine Renault

1:18.454

+1.962s

20