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
Date | Session | Time (Local Circuit) |
Oct. 25th | Practice 1 | 12:30 – 13:30 |
Practice 2 | 16:00 – 17:00 | |
Oct. 26th | Practice 3 | 11:30 – 12:30 |
Qualifying | 15:00 – 16:00 | |
Oct. 27th | Race | 14:00 |
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 |