FP1: Max quickest at high-speed Mexico

Editor

Max Verstappen in the Renault-powered Toro Rosso set the pace on a drying Mexican track, three-tenths up on Daniil Kvyat.

Formula 1’s first session in Mexico City got underway on Friday morning on a damp Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, damp and slippery that it.

“It is so slippery everywhere, it’s like there is oil,” reports Verstappen during his first run while Fernando Alonso likened it to “driving on ice on the wet and dry patches.”

That was to be expected given the newly laid asphalt coupled with the damp patches.

However, after 20 minutes the drivers braved the move over to slick tyres with the mediums in use. Valtteri Bottas led the early running with a 1:30.678 while Lewis Hamilton was second.

As the track dried out and the drivers adapted to it Daniel Ricciardo hit the front before he was overhauled by Nico Rosberg.

The Mercedes driver posted a 1:27.226 and was going even quicker when his brakes appeared to fail and he went straight on. He avoided the barrier only for his brakes to catch fire – literally.

As the track rubbered up a bit the times continued to fall with Daniil Kvyat have a turn at the front before Verstappen went quickest with five minutes remaining. It was a position he would hold through to the chequered flag with a 1:25.990.

Kvyat was second quickest ahead of Kimi Raikoknen while Sebastian Vettel was fourth and the only other driver to get within a second of Verstappen’s P1 time.

Ricciardo was next in line while Rosberg was the highest placed Mercedes driver in sixth.

Lewis Hamilton, who was 11th quickest, set the pace through the speed trap as he hit 362kph.

Times
1 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:25.990 38 laps
2 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1:26.295 +0.305 27 laps
3 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:26.295 +0.305 36 laps
4 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:26.886 +0.896 31 laps
5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:27.185 +1.195 28 laps
6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.196 +1.206 19 laps
7 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:27.303 +1.313 26 laps
8 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:27.410 +1.420 37 laps
9 Sergio Perez Force India 1:27.581 +1.591 19 laps
10 Felipe Massa Williams 1:27.695 +1.705 24 laps
11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.723 +1.733 27 laps
12 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:28.498 +2.508 27 laps
13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:28.559 +2.569 30 laps
14 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:28.579 +2.589 25 laps
15 Jolyon Palmer Lotus 1:28.711 +2.721 24 laps
16 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:29.099 +3.109 18 laps
17 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:30.072 +4.082 17 laps
18 Alexander Rossi Manor 1:30.619 +4.629 23 laps
19 Jenson Button McLaren 1:32.091 +6.101 9 laps
20 Will Stevens Manor 1:32.866 +6.876 11 laps