Key Highlights:
- Mercedes enjoyed a competitive opening Friday at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with George Russell finishing third fastest in FP2 after Fred Vesti secured P3 in FP1.
- Rookies Kimi Antonelli and Fred Vesti led Mercedes through the opening practice hour, finishing second and third, before Antonelli took fourth in the afternoon session.
- Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin confirmed the team is managing altitude-related cooling and entry stability issues as they aim to bridge the gap to frontrunners Ferrari.
Strong Start for Mercedes at the AutĂłdromo Hermanos RodrĂguez
Mercedes delivered a productive and competitive showing during Friday’s practice sessions at the Mexico City Grand Prix, navigating the unique challenges posed by the high-altitude circuit. The Silver Arrows adopted an unconventional driver lineup for Free Practice 1, with junior drivers Kimi Antonelli and Fred Vesti taking the wheel. Despite Antonelli running wide early in the opening session, the young Italian quickly composed himself to finish second on the timing sheets with a 1:18.787 lap time. Right behind him, reserve driver Vesti delivered an assured performance to claim third with a 1:18.861, securing a promising double top-three result for the team in the weekend’s opening hour.
For Free Practice 2, regular race driver George Russell returned to the cockpit, taking over from Vesti to begin his preparations. Russell hit the ground running, setting the third-fastest time of the afternoon on his second push lap on the soft compound tires with a 1:17.933. That effort put him a tenth of a second clear of Antonelli, who continued his acclimatization to post a 1:18.044, good enough for fourth place. Across both sessions, Mercedes demonstrated that they are firmly in the battle behind the pace-setting Ferraris, gathering vital setup and tire data under tricky low-grip track conditions.
Driver Feedback: Managing Altitude, Grip, and Setup
Reflecting on a busy Friday that saw him complete both practice sessions, Antonelli was pleased with his progression despite the dirty track surface in FP1. Regarding the day’s work, Antonelli noted:
“First of all, it was good to be back in the car and feeling healthy today. It was an interesting Friday here in Mexico; it’s never easy to get a read on the car, particularly in FP1 when the track needs a lot of cleaning. We tried a few different things between the sessions to get the car balance in a better window, and it seems that we improved things for FP2.
“There are definitely more things we can improve going into tomorrow and we have some work to do overnight. Ferrari looked very quick, but we will focus on ourselves, see where we can find more performance and hopefully put ourselves in a good position for tomorrow.”
Russell, who had to adapt quickly after sitting out the first session, highlighted the operational complexities created by the thin air of Mexico City, which sits over 2,200 meters above sea level. He praised Vesti’s preparation work while analyzing the aerodynamic hurdles facing the grid:
“Fred did a really good job in the car and set us up well for my hour of practice; it was good to get into a rhythm so quickly after sitting out FP1. Mexico is always a unique challenge because of the altitude and the low grip, and that feels even more pronounced this year. We’ve been running high levels of downforce at most circuits because of the way the cars operate on the straights, so coming here we don’t have the same step up in downforce that we would normally have at this circuit. That makes the car particularly tricky to drive, and you also have the challenge of turbo lag at this altitude.
Advertisement“It’s incredibly tight out there and every bit of lap time is going to matter. Ferrari look the strongest at the moment, which is perhaps not a surprise given the characteristics of this circuit, but I think it could go any way by Q3 tomorrow. We need to maximise everything because the margins are going to be very small.”
Vesti was equally thrilled with his contribution in FP1, having maximized the single hour behind the wheel of the Mercedes car to secure a top-three finish before handing the reins over to Russell:
“My FP1 session today was really satisfying. We worked through our full programme, gained lots of valuable data both for this weekend and the longer term, and helped set up the rest of our day. Personally, I was also very happy with how I performed across the hour. I knew my soft tyre lap was a good one, but seeing P3 on the timing screens made me extremely happy. I’ve put a huge amount of work into this car with the team, going back to the start of its development two years ago, so to have the opportunity to drive it here in Mexico and put together a strong lap was very special.
“I’m very grateful for the trust the team has in me and for the opportunity to show what I can do. These sessions are important for all us rookies, so I am pleased to make the most of it today. I felt comfortable in the car, put together a good lap and was really pleased to finish P3. It was a great experience and one I really enjoyed.”
Engineering Overview: Corner Entry and Cooling Challenges
From the pit wall, Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin shared an in-depth breakdown of the car’s behavioral traits and thermal limits. Shovlin emphasized that while their power unit performance remains encouraging, balance issues are currently holding the team back from challenging for pole position:
“It’s been a solid first day in Mexico. Kimi and Fred both did a good job in FP1, particularly given how difficult the conditions can be here with the altitude and low grip. Fred completed the programme we had planned for him and did an excellent job to finish P3. That gave us useful information to carry into FP2 when George returned to the car.
“Mexico is the hardest track to prepare for as it’s impossible to simulate all the effects of altitude. We use Friday to understand the various issues that we are facing and come up with an approach to managing those through qualifying and the race.
“From the power unit side, we seem to be in reasonable shape with good delivery of power out of the corners. The cooling for both brakes and power unit is always an issue here but we were able to do decent long runs on both cars and whilst we’d like a bit more margin, it seems like all teams are having to do some management.
“The field is tight and we wouldn’t put ourselves at the front of the bunch from today’s running. We’re struggling with a lack of stability on entry that moves to apex understeer. The single lap issues are actually quite similar to the long run, which should make it a bit easier to progress, but it’s clear we need to find a step if we want to be challenging for the front row.”
Why This Matters
The AutĂłdromo Hermanos RodrĂguez poses one of the most severe technical balancing acts on the Formula 1 calendar. Because the air is roughly 25% less dense than at sea level, the cars produce significantly reduced aerodynamic downforce and drag, which severely penalizes cornering grip while making engine and brake cooling critical. For Mercedes, Friday’s data collection was vital not only for tuning Saturday’s qualifying performance but also for evaluating the correlation of their aerodynamic and cooling packages under non-replicable simulator conditions.
Furthermore, running both Antonelli and Vesti in the opening practice provided valuable live-track development data and fulfilled rookie session criteria. With the margins among the top four teams exceptionally tight and Ferrari demonstrating immediate single-lap pace, Mercedes faces an overnight push to cure their entry instability and apex understeer if they intend to challenge for a front-row start on Saturday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did George Russell only participate in FP2?
Russell sat out Free Practice 1 to allow Mercedes reserve driver Fred Vesti to pilot the car, fulfilling team rookie running programs and gathering baseline aerodynamic data before Russell returned for the afternoon session.
What technical difficulties is Mercedes facing in Mexico City?
According to Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin, the car is suffering from a lack of stability upon corner entry that transitions into apex understeer. Additionally, the extreme altitude requires careful management of brake and power unit cooling.
How fast was Mercedes during the Friday practice sessions?
In FP1, Kimi Antonelli finished P2 with a 1:18.787, while Fred Vesti placed P3 with a 1:18.861. In FP2, George Russell was third fastest with a 1:17.933, followed by Antonelli in fourth with a 1:18.044.
