If anyone thought that Mercedes was still way ahead of Red Bull, Max Verstappen put it all to bed as he was half a second faster than Bottas and Hamilton in FP2.
The Dutchman never looked worried as he put his car back on the top and watched his championship rival struggle to find the balance in the car to be able to compete. While Max may have set the fastest lap, his team-mate Sergio Perez was still very much in the mix with the Mercs to put his name in the hat for tomorrow’s qualifying.
After the drivers had calmed down today after FP1 and the track warmed up, it was time for the next practice session for the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix.
The FP1 was a hesitant driving lesson as the cars adapted to the difficult conditions, but from the start the cars and drivers looked much more dial-up. After beating their way through the afternoon traffic, it was time to hit the hammer down.
And Verstappen did just that, he was the first rider to go 1:17 when he set the benchmark for the session. Bottas came closest but was still a tenth behind on the same soft compound tire.
The surprise to some may have been the pace that both AlphaTauries were displaying. Both Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly were in P4 and P3. A good sign that the Italians could get badly needed points from Sunday’s race.
Halfway through the session, Hamilton was finally able to do a lap and drove to the top with a 1: 17.8 to put his Mercedes at the top of the rankings. But that was short-lived, because Verstappen decimated that time and only a few moments later drove five-tenths faster.
While the top 4 exchanged between Mercedes and Red Bull, the rest of the order looked similar to before. Ferrari still appeared to be ahead of McLaren as both Lando Norris and Ricciardo appeared to be struggling again to break the top 10.
While the Alpha Tauries looked strong, Sebastien Vettel was another shock when he went strong for Aston Martin in P9. Shades of what could have been for Aston Martin if it hadn’t been for an engine penalty for Lance Stroll.
When the session ended it was a big advantage for Red Bull, but Mercedes is hiding performance or the attacking Bulls have re-established their place at the top of the grid.
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