It’s time to get on track for the first time in 2025 as lights go green in Mexico City for FP1!
Latest winner and pole sitter at the track was reigning Formula E champion Pascal Wehrlein, who is returning after a huge accident during the first race of the season in São Paulo.
Early laps
Mueller was the first driver out for Andretti, followed shortly after by the Lola duo, Dennis, and the rebranded Kiro drivers. Five minutes into the session, the first time of the year was set by his teammate Jake Dennis in 1:22.270s.
The first more competitive time was set by Lucas Di Grassi in 1:14.520s, which was quickly improved by the Andretti duo, definitely on the mend after leaving Brazil without any point and a rather difficult qualifying.
Ten minutes unto the session Nissan joins the party. Bird ran over a kerb, whereas Di Grassi gets up and close with the wall without crashing.
25 minutes to go and times are already better than last year’s best qualifying effort, which had been a 1:13.130s from Mitch Evans. The Kiwi goes fastest in 1:12.970s, ahead of the Mahindra duo, but its short lasted as Da Costa slots in P2.
The track has been slightly modified since the last season, with Turn 1 now faster, sharper and with a tighter entrance.
No times in FP1 have been signed so far by the DS Penske driver duo, with Vergne and Günther still in their garage.
Things start to heat up
Kiro’s Ticktum suffered from lockup at the entrance if the chicane, but managed to keep control of his car.
FE champions Dennis and Wehrlein get on the podium with times in the low 1:13s, as the Jaguar driver has been the only one halfway through the session able to sign a lap in the 1:12s.
A brief yellow flag was issues as Frijns ran wide off track and had to rejoin.
Rain spots can be seen on the cameras, but so far it hasn’t been bothering the drivers on track so much. Rowland and Cassidy both bring the fact up on the radio.
With 15 minutes left times begin to tumble, as the DS Penske drivers lower Evans’s best time only for it to be smashed by Di Grassi with a 1:11.410s signed while on Attack Mode.
The McLaren duo of Bird and Barnard round off the top 5 with the extra power, following a very positive Brazilian round.
Maserati’s Vandoorne complains about a very slow moving Mueller ahead of him while he was on a fast attempt.
Mueller gets a lap time deleted for track limits at Turn 10, whereas Ticktum jumps up to P3 with a 1:11.800s, behind Di Grassi and Bird.
Final FP1 plot twists
In the final 10 minutes of FP1, Müller improves to P2, shortly after replaced by Da Costa in spite of the traffic from the DS Penske drivers.
At the first corner Nato ran wide off ending up off track, while Buemi ran very wide almost colliding with the wall in the final corners.
Porsche goes in the lead in the final stages of the session, with an impressive Da Costa signing the first time in the 1:10s ahead of Wehrlein and Evans.
Nyck de Vries gets two lap times cancelled foe track limits as well. David Beckmann makes contact with the wall at Peraltada and spins out, but luckily it’s just a brush as his car is not too damaged from the issue.
On the last final flying lap Barnard and Rowland move up the standings, 0.091s and 0.122s off leader Da Costa. Wehrlein and Evans round off the top 5, with Di Grassi, Nato, Buemi, Mortara and Vandoorne in the top 10. Eight different teams are featured today in the points scoring zone, thus proving the closeness of the entire grid.
