Mexican GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Times

MEXICAN GRAND PRIX - FREE PRACTICE #1

    Lewis Hamilton led the first practice session of the Mexican GP weekend with a 1:20.914, while Nico Rosberg finished outside the top 7. Instead it was Sebastian Vettel who came close to Hamilton's time with a 1:20.993. Raikkonen, Perez and Hulkenberg completed the top 5.

    This is the home race for both Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez but for Perez, this will be his second time racing on home soil, for Gutierrez it will be his first time. Last year, Gutierrez was without a drive and was watching from the sidelines as a Ferrari reserve. Sergio Perez finished the session in 4th with a 1:21.200 while Gutierrez finished 15th with a 1:22.910

    Multiple drivers ran the 'Halo' head protection device, including Perez, Magnussen, Nasr and Wehrlein. Magnussen was unimpressed with the Halo and said that the visibility was not as good as he had hoped. While the drivers have different opinions and views on the Halo, one thing is for certain, it won't be formally introduced in 2017, but instead will be tested by all the drivers on the grid before any further decisions are made.

    The session was Red Flagged when Felipe Nasr took a high-speed trip over some of  the kerbing and lost a huge piece off of his front wing. The piece shattered and debris was scattered along the surrounding area of the track. The session was resumed a few minutes later once the track was clean.

    Max Verstappen suffered a brake fire in the pit-lane due to the rear brakes overheating. While it was session over for him, the team was still able to fix the car before the second practice session started.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:20.914 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:20.993 / Ferrari-Ferrari

3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:21.072 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Sergio Perez - 1:21.200 / Force India-Mercedes

5. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:21.409 / Force India-Mercedes

6. Valtteri Bottas - 1:21.447 / Williams-Mercedes

7. Nico Rosberg - 1:21.673 / Mercedes-Mercedes

8. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:21.727 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

9. Felipe Massa - 1:21.836 / Williams-Mercedes

10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:22.215 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

11. Romain Grosjean - 1:22.500 / Haas-Ferrari

12. Carlos Sainz - 1:22.563 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari

13. Marcus Ericsson - 1:22.723 / Sauber-Ferrari

14. Max Verstappen - 1:22.877 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER

15. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:22.910 / Haas-Ferrari

16. Fernando Alonso - 1:23.089 / McLaren-Honda

17. Felipe Nasr - 1:23.089 / Sauber-Ferrari

18. Jenson Button - 1:23.342 / McLaren-Honda

19. Kevin Magnussen - 1:23.556 / Renault-Renault

20. Esteban Ocon - 1:24.083 / Manor-Mercedes

21. Jolyon Palmer - 1:24.097 / Renault-Renault

22. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:24.350 / Manor-Mercedes

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Manor

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - MANOR RACING F1 TEAM

Pascal Wehrlein - “On Tuesday I travelled here to Mexico City and it was really interesting flying over the city before we landed – so many people living here! On Wednesday I played football with a few of the other drivers and some Mexican professional players. We played on a pitch on top of a shopping mall; I guess there isn’t much space on the ground! It was a lot of fun and a nice way to get pumped ready for the weekend.

Austin went well overall but we didn’t achieve our objective of finishing ahead of Sauber. They remain our main competitor right now and we have to keep them behind us for the rest of the season - especially in the Constructors’ table. It’s too early to know how well this track will favour our car, but I’m looking forward to getting to know another new circuit and finding a good set-up so we can have a nice battle here.”

Esteban Ocon - "(Mexico has) two big stand-out features I think. The first, that it’s a really fast circuit with long straights and one of the highest top speeds of the season. Also, the atmosphere - I hear it’s amazing, especially on race day. I can’t wait to try both of those things for myself!”

(The city)looks really cool, but I think there will be less opportunity to explore. Austin was great because downtown everything is condensed into a reasonably small area. Mexico City is definitely not a reasonably small area! I was expecting ‘big’, but it’s still really surprising to see. So, I think the racetrack will be where we’re spending most of our time this week and it looks pretty cool, so I’m happy for that. It also has a lot of rich history, so it’s been nice talking to Dave (Ryan) and Pat (Fry) over the past couple of days about some of their stories from the ‘old days’. My engineer Juan is also Mexican, so as well as him knowing the track really well, I get great tips on where to find the best Tacos!”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It was a great atmosphere (last year). During the driver parade, I don’t think I’d ever seen such a big crowd than in the last part of the circuit at the stadium section. It was an awesome race with a lot of fans.

(The track is great fun to drive with huge straights and big braking – everything that I like. Every time we go to a track, it’s a brand-new track to us as a team. Even when we’re coming from a strong race, the next one could be difficult. I always prefer not to have any expectations and see how it goes. With Mexico’s long straight line, that could be to our advantage.

I wasn’t really happy with the race in Mexico last year. I managed to get into the top-10, but I thought with the performance we could have done better. We were struggling with the brakes because of the altitude, which cost us a little bit. But yes, it was a great end to the season and I managed to score points in the last three races. I’m hoping for the same this year.”

Esteban Gutierrez - “It’s a very special week for my whole career. It’s probably one of the best two weeks of my career because it represents so much to racing, to motorsports in Mexico in general, and to me. It’s a kind of connection where I can share my passion for racing and what I do with all Mexicans. I feel grateful for their support. Last year was great. I could live the event from a different perspective, but now it will be even better when I will be racing there. I’m very excited to enjoy that.

It will be important to do the best we can with our car. It’s a track we believe can suit the style of our car, and we’re hoping that will be the case. It’s going to be important to have as much track time as possible to adapt to the circuit.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

Sergio Perez - “Mexico City may be quite far from my city of Guadalajara, but I go there very often for professional reasons. It’s a city I love and there’s so much going on: the best restaurants, so many sights and so many things to do. It is a huge city and sometimes traffic makes going from one side of town to the other feel like an adventure! It is, not surprisingly, one of my favourite moments in the season and last year’s was special not just for me, but for my team and for anyone who came to the race.

I have no doubt this year’s event will be even better than last year - expectations are huge following the success of 2015. For me, the biggest surprise was the passion of the fans: all the affection I received, all the messages and all the incredible moments I experienced are what really made an impression on me. I am so happy to go back there.

The track itself is brilliant: my two favourite parts are the fast esses and the Foro Sol. It’s a very technical circuit, with some tricky corners: at the speeds we are doing, managing the car is very complicated and it’s important not to lose your rhythm. There is no key place where you can make or break your lap, except perhaps the slow section inside the stadium: you have to nail the combinations of corners to be able to string together a good lap. I am really looking forward to trying the track surface - last year, the asphalt was completely new, so this year it should be a big improvement.”

Nico Hulkenberg - “I am looking forward to going back to Mexico. Last year the whole race week was a huge thrill and you could feel all the excitement from the Mexican people as Formula One was coming back after more than 20 years. The happiness and enthusiasm were incredible, and the vibe we could feel was great - I had goosebumps the first time I got to the track and saw all the fans. I hope this year we’ll have a similar experience: I know what we had in 2015 will be hard to match, but I trust the locals!

The circuit facilities are nice, even though the track is perhaps not one of the most challenging. The first sector, though, is fun to drive - Turns 1 to 3 make up a good combination: it’s a triple corner, quite slow in the race but exciting in qualifying, as it gets quicker with lots of grip and low fuel.

The altitude makes our set-up choice interesting: we have a high-down force package on the car, but the thin air results in a down force level similar to what we have in Monza. The car feels loose and very floaty, and massively quick in a straight line: last year we went over 360 km/h on the main straight. We had a good result last year and hopefully we can go even better this year.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA 1 TEAM

Kevin Magnussen - "I've never been to Mexico before so it's going to be a completely new experience away from the track too. I've heard a lot about Mexico City from everyone that visited last year, especially that the fans are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I love Mexican food, especially if it's hot and spicy.

I want to get the most out of the car and achieve the best result possible. We know the level of our car's performance so we want to get the most out of it at every opportunity. I've never driven it but I have studied the layout and watched some on-board laps so I've got a good taste for it. It looks good, but you never get a real feel for it until you get out there in the car. I know that the engineers say it was pretty slippery last year, especially early in the weekend which is what you'd expect for a new facility. It's going to be interesting to see how much it's improved over the past year."

Jolyon Palmer - "It's always fun to go to a new circuit, which was the case last year. It's got a particularly distinct character with the stadium section near the end of the lap, there's quite a few fast corners; it's a good layout. There's something really special and you feel the atmosphere. (The Stadium) is a very slow section, and to be honest it's not fantastic in pure driving terms as the corners are some of the slowest on the calendar, but you really feel the buzz of the fans all cheering and that really pushes you along! You go so slowly through there that you can properly appreciate and feel the enthusiasm.

Last year the event was all about the crowd; there were so many people and they were so enthusiastic. On the grid in Mexico was one of the most memorable moments of last season; that and driving through the stadium section – even in FP1."

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO F1 TEAM

Daniil Kvyat - “I'm looking forward to Mexico, I like it over there! I remember there were so many fans that attended the race last year, it was crazy! I felt like a rock star during the drivers' parade! I was a bit disappointed not to be on the podium, because I heard it was mega! Bottas just got me (for third) when there were only a few laps to go… It was a shame, but it was still quite a good race for me. I have to say that the city is enormous and quite crazy, with loads of traffic at any time of day. It's a cool city. I'm not the biggest fan of spicy food, so I always stick to normal food there.”

Carlos Sainz - “(The track’s) an interesting one! I think the layout is really well thought about, especially for the fans, as there are three areas with stadiums where it's very impressive to drive through and see so many people surrounding a corner! I also have very good memories of the drivers' parade, the amount of people there was incredible! Also because the Mexican fans are so loud, they shout so much, it makes you feel good! I'd say that, after Japan, the Mexican fans are also up there at the top of the list! Then, regarding the track itself, I'd prefer more high-speed corners, but there's still quite a few chicanes and changes of direction which are interesting. We reached 360 kph last year - I think this year it will be more. And the track is literally inside the city, something I also like.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Sauber

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAUBER F1 TEAM

Marcus Ericsson - “I remember the atmosphere at the track and especially driving through the section from Turn 12 to Turn 16, which made us feel like we were in a football stadium. The Mexicans gave us a warm welcome last season, and I am sure they will do so this year as well. Looking back to the previous race weekends, we clearly made steps in the right direction, but we still need to find more pace in order to fight for points.”

Felipe Nasr - “At the Mexican Grand Prix it was great to see the grandstands full of people in 2015. The atmosphere at the circuit and in Mexico City was just excellent, so I am pleased to return this year. I am confident that we are keeping working to improve the Sauber C35-Ferrari, in order to make further steps to be more competitive.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - “Last year we went to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with a lot of unknowns and relatively little information about how the cars would perform on the reconfigured circuit. It poses a very different set of challenges to many other circuits because of the compromise you need between good down force on the fast straights and also strong balance in the twisty stadium section - and then there’s the altitude, which affects performance in itself. It will be difficult to bring all of the elements together to get the best out of a lap, but I’m looking forward to seeing where our package compares to last year.

Last year the support we received in Mexico City made it one of the best crowds all season, so the whole team is looking forward to going back there for the second time at this famous circuit. The buzz from the fans really makes a difference to the drivers, and, although we didn’t have a smooth weekend there last year, I still remember it as one of the highlight events because the whole experience was really enjoyable. Given how tough the race is on our cars, I hope we can achieve good reliability and enjoy a better result on track this time, and make the most of the incredible support.”

Jenson Button - “I really enjoyed driving on this circuit last year. It wasn’t an easy track for us, but it’s a really rewarding layout for a driver. Although the famous banked Peraltada wasn’t included in the re-profiled design, the mixture of the very high-speed straights and the infield section at the end of the lap does give you a bit of everything and it really puts a smile on your face. We were definitely strongest in the final sector around the stadium so we’ll need to put those strengths to good use if we’re to give ourselves a fighting chance next weekend.

We’re very lucky that we have huge support from fans at all the circuits we go to around the world, but I can honestly say that the reception we got from the Mexican crowd last year was a feeling like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. Every time you drove around the stadium section you could actually feel the roar from the fans from inside the car, it was unbelievable. I hope we put on a great show again this year and recreate that incredible atmosphere.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

Valtteri Bottas - “Mexico was the best podium in my career so far when I finished third there last year. It was incredible to look out on the stadium and see how many people there were after the Mexican Grand Prix hadn’t been on since 1992, and the place was completely full. The atmosphere was amazing. It’s a big city with plenty of traffic on the way to the circuit – that’s the only negative I can think of, but at least the traffic is there and not on the track! The race is very challenging because of the high altitude. The top speeds are high, and we have less downforce. This thin air also means there is less oxygen, so as a driver it’s slightly more physical. It’s a very cool race track and I’m really looking forward to going back to such a unique location for a Grand Prix.”

Felipe Massa - “Mexico has some of the most amazing fans. In the last sector you really enjoy every lap you’re doing. You also have one of the longest straights in Formula One, where we achieved the record speed last year. In Mexico people really love Formula One, it’s fantastic to go to races like that. The city is very similar to São Paulo so I really feel at home there. I would say the Mexican people are very similar to the Brazilian people as well. It’s a great place to visit and to race.”

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Mexican GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL RACING FORMULA 1 TEAM

Max Verstappen - “The circuit in Mexico is interesting, it’s still really new, they had only just finished it when we went there in 2015. Hopefully when we go there this year the grip will have improved and the lap times will be faster. The fans are really passionate in Mexico, a lot came to the race last year so it will be good to see them out in force again this year. Last year I didn’t get any chance to look around at all, I want to taste some authentic food and see some sights this year.”

Daniel Ricciardo - “Last year in Mexico it was quite challenging, the surface was so new it meant grip levels were really low. This year should be a bit more fun with a bit more feeling. The track has some really cool sections, driving slow through the stadium bits means you can feel the atmosphere from the fans. Last year it was the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival so we went out on the Sunday after the race. We had a meal and everyone was dressed up in the skulls, it felt like we were in a movie. For me, having Austin and Mexico as a back to back is great because they are two of the most hospitable places we go and really cool to spend time there.”

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