F1: Mexico City GP Friday Post-Practice Quotes
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
George Russell (1st, 1:19.970): “Today was one of our better Fridays, if not the best of the year so far – the car is working well and it felt good driving on this track. The pace was relatively strong, but we know the challenges at this circuit. For qualifying, the difficulty will be to get the tires in the right window for the single lap run. And on Sunday, it will be difficult to manage temperatures for the engine and for the brakes. A podium finish should hopefully be possible for us this weekend, so that’s what we will be aiming for. Not having the normal FP2 running, where we get to assess the long run performance of our rivals, doesn’t allow us to understand where our competitors are and that can become a big challenge if we will struggle with tire temperatures during the race. We take some very useful learnings about tire temperature management for next year and will be working hard overnight as it’s not going to be a straightforward weekend for sure, but positive learnings for us today.”
Lewis Hamilton (4th, 1:21.509): “I had a good session today, so generally feel good about our performance so far. I really enjoyed driving around the track, because the car is feeling better and better as we learn to understand it in more detail. The tire test in FP2 we used to get as much practice in as possible. I don’t know yet where exactly we stand compared to other teams, because everyone was running different programs and I try to mainly focus on my own program. The 2023 tires seem very similar to the current ones, maybe a little bit more consistent on the long runs and easier to manage in terms of overheating. Of course, we will do plenty of work tonight, to see if we can compete with the front, but you never know with this car how the rest of the weekend will go, but I hope we are able to continue to build on our positive conclusion from today.”
Nyck de Vries: “I enjoyed the session and driving the car, we did a good job in FP1. We ran a bit of a different program today, focused on developments for next year and I’m happy with my performance, feeling more and more comfortable in the F1 environment. It was also a very emotional session for me, as it marks the end of my time in the car for the team. But I’m happy, as we ended it well and we had a great time working together. I’m grateful for the opportunity Mercedes has given me, allowing me to learn a lot and build relationships within the team and now I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
Andrew Shovlin: “We had a bit of a messy first session as we were bumping into a few limits on system temperatures, but we managed to get that much better under control in the second session. Nyck was driving in place of George for the first session. The program was never going to flatter him as we were only running the hard tire and working through a sequence of test items, but he did another very solid job. That finishes off his planned driving duties for our team and we are looking forward to seeing him race next year. The second session was focused on the 2023 tires, although the regulations allowed George to do a few laps on medium and soft compounds. From what we can tell the car is working well on both single lap and long run. The balance isn’t perfect so we’ve got areas to work on overnight, but a reasonable start at what is normally a very challenging circuit.”
Oracle Red Bull Racing
Sergio Perez (5th, 1:21.579): “It was a tricky day to get a read on things, as is typical in Mexico with the altitude, everything is floating around. It is very easy to make mistakes in these conditions so overall I think we had an ok day. I think we got up to speed fairly quickly and got into a rhythm so it should hopefully be quite straightforward tomorrow. The tire test means you basically lose FP2 but that’s how it is for everyone and in FP1 we got a good pace and we seemed to be competitive. Ferrari look strong, as do Mercedes, so it is going to be a tough battle tomorrow in qualifying.”
Max Verstappen (6th, 1:21.588): “I had a little spin this morning in FP1, as soon as I came off the track it felt like ice and I was drifting left and right. On the soft tires, everything felt okay but we only had one run on them. In FP2 we had to do the Pirelli tire test, so it makes it a little bit more difficult as there are a lot of unknowns again, similar to last weekend. We have very little information, but from what we tried; everything was working okay. Let’s see what we can do come qualifying tomorrow.”
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc (7th, 1:21.618): “Not the best of Fridays, as we didn’t complete a great number of laps. Unfortunately, we had a puncture straight out of the box in FP1, so we had to pit and did just a few laps on the Soft tires after that. In FP2, we completed some short runs. When we started with the long runs, I spun which ended my session. I don’t expect it to affect the rest of the weekend in any way and I am confident that we will have a good day tomorrow, as the feeling in the car is good.”
Carlos Sainz (8th, 1:21.693): “In general, it was a positive day here in Mexico. We completed the two sessions without any issues and managed to change the car quite a lot between the sessions to test different approaches. It’s not an easy circuit, we’re naturally lacking downforce here due to the altitude but we’re having fun out there. Thanks to all the Mexican fans for their great support! It’s always impressive to drive through the arena zone and hear them cheer! We’ll try to put on a good show for everyone this weekend.”
BWT Alpine F1 Team
Esteban Ocon (3rd, 1:21.177): “It was good to test ourselves on this challenging track, which is quite low on grip but with long fast straights and challenging corners. I didn’t run in the first session with Jack driving my car. I’ve been in his position before, so well done to him on doing his first session. For Free Practice 2, we completed a lot of laps where we were able to learn quite a lot. It was slightly interrupted, but we have plenty of data to go through tonight and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do across the next two days.”
Fernando Alonso (11th, 1:22.337): “I’d say it was a solid Practice for us today and it’s nice to be back here in Mexico. The track in Mexico City always has varying levels of grip and the unique high altitude puts pressure on both the car and driver. We need to adjust and adapt to these challenging conditions, which we will no doubt face all weekend. Overall, we completed our Friday program, and we head into tomorrow feeling confident of a strong result.”
Jack Doohan: “It was a fantastic experience to drive in Free Practice 1 today, so thanks to Alpine for giving me that opportunity. I put in a lot of preparation for today including working with the engineers at Enstone and at the circuit as well as driving on the simulator. We had more running planned but, unfortunately, we had to stop early due to a small issue on the car. These things happen in motorsport, but to drive 13 laps here on a Grand Prix weekend was an incredible experience and something I’ll remember forever. I’m looking forward to furthering my learning experience with the team this weekend where hopefully both Esteban and Fernando can score some points.”
Alan Permane, Sporting Director: “Jack did a great job today in his first official Formula 1 session. The track here in Mexico City is not easy to drive, especially on debut, and he certainly gave a good account of himself. Unfortunately, his session ended slightly early with a power unit issue but, during his running, he was very sensible, built up the speed lap by lap and gave us some good feedback. Thereafter, he observed a lot by just watching. Fernando had a smooth day and the car looked reasonable across both sessions. Esteban wasn’t able to complete a full program on race tires due to the red flag midway through the session and Pirelli prototype tire testing, but we have enough data to assess in preparation for the rest of the weekend where the aim, as usual, is to have both drivers inside the top ten.”
Scuderia AlphaTauri
Yuki Tsunoda (2nd, 1:20.798): “I’m quite happy after FP2, of course it’s not that representative, but straight away I felt confident in the car and was able to put in some strong laps. It was quite easy to adapt to the circuit, which I wasn’t expecting, so it’s been a positive FP2. I spent the start of the session just building up the pace and then I moved to the test tires. As I missed FP1, I’ve got a lot of data to look through tonight and some more work to do in FP3, so that I can hopefully put it altogether for Quali tomorrow.”
Pierre Gasly (10th, 1:22.104): “It’s been a great day. In FP1, I felt good in the car, we know it’s quite a unique track as it’s at such high altitude, but usually this works quite well for us. This morning straight away I was on the pace, we know it’s super tight in the midfield so I hope tomorrow, when we put it altogether, we can fight for the top 10. This afternoon we can’t make many conclusions, as we don’t know the compounds we’ve been running, but generally I felt quite good in the car, which is the most important thing. It feels great to be racing back in Mexico, both at the track and away from it it’s absolutely hectic, but it’s fun to be back here and feel the passion of the fans.”
Liam Lawson: “It’s been great to be back on track with Scuderia AlphaTauri after my last shot out in Spa. This time we played a bit more with set-up changes, as the more I drive the car the more accurate feedback I can give. Due to the Pirelli test in FP2 we saved a set of tires for that, so I only ran on one set, which I believe most the juniors did today. It’s a really interesting circuit. I’d been on the sim a lot obviously, but when I first drove it was quite eye opening, there’s very low grip and it’s extremely slippery, especially through some of the high-speed areas. Driving through the stadium though was crazy, the atmosphere is incredible, even when I had to stop the car there, they were all cheering. Sadly, we had to stop because we had a loss of pressure. However, I was able to complete most the session anyway, so it didn’t impact too much.”
Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer: “It was great to have Liam back driving for us in FP1, this time taking over Yuki’s car. He did a very good job, particularly as he only ran a single hard tire in that session. He got quickly up to speed and was setting competitive lap times even against the experienced drivers. We had several aero test items which we completed with him and captured very good data to help us with the setup direction. His running came to an end just before the end of the session, as we spotted a loss of pressure, but the mechanics did a great job to get the car repaired and ready for Yuki for FP2. Pierre was focusing on general setup work and long run tire gathering in FP1 – it was a tight program given the Pirelli test in FP2 – but we gathered enough data to prepare for Quali and the race on Sunday. Yuki was able to run the 2022 tires at the start of FP2 before switching to the Pirelli test, which had to be cut short for all drivers due to the Red Flag. In general, the car balance was close even at the start of the weekend, so we will use Friday as a good foundation to make any subtle changes overnight. Our competitiveness is looking quite good, and we will do all we can to aim for a place in Q3 tomorrow.”
Alfa Romeo F1 team
Valtteri Bottas “The car was feeling pretty good today. Coming into this weekend, I was expecting for it to be a decent track for us, and it seems like so far everything is running smooth, so overall it has been a positive day. We seemed to be in a good place with lap times in both sessions, and hopefully that is a good sign ahead of tomorrow. FP2 was obviously all about learning about the new tires, which feel very similar to the current ones to me. There is indeed a difference with the tire pressure, which can clearly be perceived, but apart from that, they feel mostly the same.”
Zhou Guanyu “Today hasn’t been the easiest day, in fact it has been quite messy out there for me. During FP1 my gear got stuck while I was practicing starts in the pitlane; at first we were okay in FP2, but then we had quite a few small issues in the long run, and eventually at the end of the session I had to stop the car on track because of a hydraulic issue. As a positive, I got to learn the track and our car felt quite strong, so we should be ready for tomorrow and hopefully have a smooth and cleaner day. Upgrades have been working extremely well, especially on the one-lap performance, so I am confident we can have a strong qualifying. Our priority now is to get rid of the issues we experienced today, and then we are good to go.”
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team
Sebastian Vettel (12th, 1:22.371): “The fans seem to get a little crazier each year – but it is such a fantastic atmosphere here. Today went pretty smoothly: we could not test anything in the afternoon tire test, which was a bit of a shame, but hopefully we were able to give some useful information to Pirelli. It is difficult to say where we are at the moment – it looks like we are in our usual positions for a Friday, but I hope we can find something in the set-up and take a step forward for qualifying tomorrow.”
Lance Stroll (16th, 1:22.840): “It was a fairly quiet Friday today. There is not much to say about FP2, due to the Pirelli tire test, but it was certainly good to get some laps in throughout the day. We have improved the car a lot over the year, and it is starting to really show, even if the outright results today do not necessarily reflect that. On another note, I am really enjoying my time at this Grand Prix. The general vibe is really cool. It is a lot a fun both on the track and with the atmosphere.”
Williams Racing
Alexander Albon (13th, 1:22.447): “We did one lap today on the tires we’re using this weekend so not a very productive day. We’ve got the cooling and the race package ready for the weekend so that’s a positive in terms of getting up to speed. We’re a bit off but that’s expected when considering the one representative lap, so it’s a bit frustrating in some ways but we’ve got a good platform and baseline to work on for tomorrow.”
Nicholas Latifi (19th, 1:23.320): “Overall, today was an okay start to the weekend. It was a little bit disrupted with many yellow and red flags and FP2 having the tire test which was unrepresentative. A decent Friday to learn about the baseline of the car. There are definitely some clear directions to go into tomorrow to find more lap time.”
Logan Sargeant: “I was definitely a lot more comfortable coming into today. Everything slowed down a lot and it was easier to build a rhythm and learn the track. All in all, it was a good step forward and good progress from last weekend.”
Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer: “We have had a very disrupted day, with the red flags costing us some valuable track time. Logan did a very good job this morning in difficult conditions and between him and Nicholas, they were able to evaluate some of the cooling options that we will need this weekend. Alex was late starting FP2 following an issue with setting the PU cooling system and this meant that he was only able to complete a single timed lap before moving on to the Pirelli tire testing. Whilst this was frustrating and not ideal preparation for his weekend, he was able to complete the high fuel running and understand what the car limitations will be on Sunday. With the race car preparation complete, both drivers can concentrate on qualifying preparation during FP3 tomorrow. There is a bit of work to do to tune the car for low fuel, but following some analysis tonight, this will be achievable tomorrow morning.”
Haas F1 Team
Mick Schumacher (17th, 1:22.879): “It was alright, obviously the track has different challenges now with these new cars. It has been fun though, there have already been a lot of fans here today which is great, so expecting more tomorrow and on Sunday. We still have some work to do, we’re not quite satisfied with our performance overall, but we still have something in us to move up the grid and be able to position ourselves well for the race. I would love some rain, I think it would suit our car very well so yet again we’ll be doing the rain dance.”
Kevin Magnussen (18th, 1:23.316): “We’re back in Mexico and I managed to get some laps in. We had to use the test tires from Pirelli so the running we did today isn’t super relevant, but still I got a good feeling for the track and I got into the rhythm of Mexico City.”
Pietro Fittipaldi: “It was good to get back in the car – obviously it was only for a few of laps – but it was good to get the feeling of driving a Formula 1 car on a different track, which is an amazing circuit. I’m very happy for the opportunity and I felt very comfortable, very quickly in the car. We weren’t using DRS on the first run and we were running competitively, so I was really happy. Then again, going onto a new tire we were going to make a step but then unfortunately we had the issue. I was happy that I was able to get back into the rhythm quickly in the car and feel good and confident. It was a short FP1 but at least I got a run in, and in Abu Dhabi, I can come back into the car warmed up.”
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: “Mick had a very good day today, running through all his test program, so he should be ready for tomorrow. Unfortunately, Pietro’s turbo let go after nine laps which meant he couldn’t do a lot, so we didn’t get that test program going. We had to change the engine afterwards and the team did a fantastic job to get Kevin out with only a 30-minute delay. Kevin could then get a program with the prototype tires in, but there obviously wasn’t enough time to get the race tires on but at least he got back out on track and a little bit of experience. Now we need to do a solid job in FP3 to get ready for qualifying.”
