Max Verstappen topped the 2023 F1 Mexican GP race weekend, followed by Alex Alban in P2. The high downforce configuration demanded by the track should have worked against the strength of the car under Alban, but it didn’t.
At the same time, we are still in FP1, so it is difficult to give detailed recommendations. In FP3 we had home favorite Sergio Perez with Lando Norris right behind him in P4. The first hour of the morning went more or less as expected without any hiccups. What have we learned from it? Bye.
2023 F1 Mexican GP FP1: What did we learn?
#1 Red Bull may not be available this weekend
A smoother track and Red Bull is back to the races. Max Verstappen was not only fast, but also fast by measured things in FP1. The Red Bull driver didn’t put too much pressure on the tires and tended to keep things as they were, but still he was at the top of the standings.
Although we had some strong fields, he was not fast in any of them. We could be looking at the 2023 F1 Mexican GP, where Max Verstappen dominates once again, as he has already done four times at this venue.
#2 The future is bright
With five young drivers getting a chance in FP1, one would think that these drivers would get a lot of the spotlight. They certainly did, and while most of them went about their session in a professional manner, what was clear was that they were all competent enough to jump into these cars and not look out of their depth.
Ollie Bearman was within two-tenths of Nico Hulkenberg at one point, which is pretty impressive. The 2023 F1 Mexican GP FP1 shows that the future certainly looks bright for the sport.
#3 Mercedes hasn’t shown its cards yet
Mercedes has a reputation for keeping its cards close to its chest or starting a race weekend slower than its rivals. Looking at the current standings for the 2023 F1 Mexican GP FP1, it makes for worrying reading for the team. Often, the team sees significant gains as the weekend progresses.
Lewis Hamilton expects Mercedes to be strong this weekend. Still not showing that speed though.
#4 Alex Alban turns heads at Williams
Believe it or not, the track for the 2023 F1 Mexican GP is high downforce in nature and it’s surprising that Alex Alban is this competitive. The driver has been spending a lot of time on the straights, but not only that, he’s also holding pace in the slower speed sections.
Expecting a Williams top 5 car would be bonkers, but expecting a Williams top 10 result? It is possible.
#5 Ferrari has a question mark on his head
Ferrari was in FP1 or it usually is on a weekend. There are a lot of question marks around the team, especially since the power unit struggles so much at high altitude. For the 2023 F1 Mexican GP, it appears the true picture is yet to emerge.
Everyone will be watching Ferrari closely as the team could struggle a bit this weekend.
„Całkowity introwertyk. Nieprzejednany specjalista od sieci. Przyjazny fanatyk bekonu. Student ekstremalnych. Miłośnik piwa. Organizator.”