The McLaren driver is the fastest, many difficulties for his teammate Piastri. Good performance by Ferrari. It will be crucial to do well in qualifying
Lando Norris is the fastest in Free Practice 3 of the Mexican GP. The Englishman from McLaren sends a signal to Verstappen, only sixth and also having difficulty with his race pace. Second is Hamilton’s Ferrari, who has grown over the course of the session and is comfortable with the SF-25. Encouraging signs for the red team, also confirmed by Leclerc’s fourth place and a good simulation by the Monegasque. Russell’s Mercedes was third, with the Englishman also in form on a track where the thin air requires the use of Monza-style aerodynamic packages. Still in the shadows is world championship leader Piastri, almost six tenths away from his teammate and called for a prompt comeback in qualifying.
super norris, plates fatigue
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Session (almost) entirely dedicated to the qualifying simulation of free practice 3 of the Mexican GP. The close values highlighted in FP2 suggest, in fact, that the starting position will be decisive for the fate of the weekend, thanks to the difficulties in overtaking with these cars. The fastest is thus Lando Norris, author of an exceptional 1’16”633. It was clear from Friday that his McLaren was in good shape, and the almost four tenths he gained from the first of his pursuers (Hamilton’s Ferrari) is an eloquent fact. Even more so is Oscar Piastri’s fifth place, a good six tenths behind his teammate and struggling with a few too many difficulties, to the point of asking his track engineer to show him the points on the track where he could improve.
verstappen far away
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Max Verstappen was also far away, called to a new magic in qualifying to keep the world championship dream alive. The Dutchman is only sixth in the qualifying simulation, “I have no grip, neither at the front nor at the rear” and even the race pace is not at the level of Norris’ McLaren. After the second free practice Max said he was rather dissatisfied with the general balance of his Red Bull, a problem not completely resolved even in FP3, with the world champion author of a fluctuating simulation in the lap times. Similar feelings also for Russell’s Mercedes, with the Englishman dissatisfied: “I can’t get the tires to work, the car slides everywhere”. The sensations on the flying lap were better, with Russell’s third place suggesting that the German car will also be involved in qualifying.
the Ferrari is there
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Still good feelings for Ferrari. The three free practice sessions suggest that in Maranello they managed to improve the set-up of the car, a good sign ahead of the race. Hamilton also improved, and after a few too many blocks in the initial stages, he finished in second place. The fourth time achieved by Leclerc at the end on used tires was also positive. The SF-25 is particularly fast on the long straight stretches of the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack, indicating not only a more aggressive choice in terms of engine mapping, but also good general aerodynamic efficiency. On the red one it was then decided to “open” the bonnet to facilitate cooling of the engine, as well as the rear brake area. A non-random choice, which thus allows the front braking system to be “lightened”, a point of weakness on tracks that are particularly demanding in the braking phase.
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