Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas won the introductory training for the Mexico Grand Prix of Formula 1 cars
Henry romero, Reuters
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The 24-year-old Verstappen, who defends five races before the end of the 12-point lead at the top of the World Cup over Hamilton, will attack his third victory in Mexico in his career. At the same time, he can build on the last triumph from the US GP and claim his ninth win of the season. This could bring him even closer to the first championship title.
Thanks to a Honda engine and a larger turbocharger, his Red Bull should also cope better with the altitude of 2285 meters at which the Mexican circuit lies. For the time being, his teammate Sergio Pérez, who was fourth in both trainings, remains outside the podium.
Carlos Sainz from Ferrari and Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri also fit into the top six each time.
Vettel’s unexpected mistake
He did not finish the second training due to technical problems with the George Russell transmission from Williams. An unusual mistake was made by Sebastian Vettel of Aston Martin, who accidentally drove to other mechanics. However, he took the situation with humor.
From the end of the starting grid, Júki Cunoda from Alpha Tauri and Lance Stroll from Aston Martin will start the race, who put new components on their monoposts and received a penalty.
Mexico’s Grand Prix returns to the F1 Championship after a one-year hiatus due to a coronavirus pandemic. Qualification will take place on Saturday from 21:00 CET, the race a day later from 20:00
| Trainings for the Mexican Grand Prix, Formula 1 World Championship: |
| First training: |
| 1. Bottas (Fin./Mercedes) 1:18,341 |
| 2. Hamilton (Brit./Mercedes) -0,076 |
| 3. Verstappen (Niz./Red Bull) -0,123 |
| 4. Pérez (Mex./Red Bull) -0.269 |
| 5. Gasly (Fr./AlphaTauri) -0,644 |
| 6. Sainz (Šp./Ferrari) -1,122. |
| Second training: |
| 1. Verstappen 1:17,301 |
| 2. Bottas -0.424 |
| 3. Hamilton -0,509 |
| 4. Pérez -0,570 |
| 5. Sainz -1,017 |
| 6. Gasly -1,128. |
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