Drivers getting to grips with slippery conditions at revamped Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez; Brake overheating ends Nico Rosberg's session early; World champion Hamilton 11th fastest
Tuesday 3 November 2015 12:33, UK
Max Verstappen was fastest from Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen in Mexican GP first practice as drivers got to grips with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday.
F1 is making its first visit to Mexico City since 1992 this weekend, meaning that just about all the drivers have to acclimatise to the revamped 2.7-mile circuit.
And that's not all they have to acclimatise to - racing at an altitude of 2,250m, the sport faces a different sort of challenge with downforce and drag levels reduced in the thinner air and the V6 turbo engines placed under particular strain.
And if Monza levels of downforce aren't enough for the drivers to contend with, they also have to judge the vagaries of a slippery new track surface, with many cars running off track - but with no accidents to speak of.
Verstappen appeared in particularly flamboyant mood as the session got underway in damp conditions, but the 18-year-old put the lesson to good effect by emerging fastest of all for first time in his burgeoning career with a lap of 1:25.990.
The Dutchman's time stood despite cutting a corner in the Esses, although he did post another time two laps later - 1:26.147 - which would also have been quick enough to seal top spot.
Kvyat and Raikkonen were second and third fastest, with the top 10 completed by Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa.
Verstappen's time was set in the closing moments as the track started to grip up. That clearly wasn't the case in the opening half of the session, however.
"Ridiculously slippery" was how Sebastian Vettel described the conditions, although he ended up P4 behind Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen and Kvyat.
Daniel Ricciardo's sister Red Bull was next up ahead of Nico Rosberg, who was fastest with half an hour to go before the rear brakes on his Mercedes overheated - another potential headache for teams this weekend.
Rosberg locked up entering Turn 12 with his brakes then catching fire. The German promptly returned to the pits and took no further part in the session.
Team-mate and world champion Lewis Hamilton had a quiet session, meanwhile, and was 11th fastest.
Further down the order, Fernando Alonso was 17th - the Spaniard at one point taking to the dry track on intermediates after a deep cut developed on the set of slicks he'd been using.
McLaren team-mate Jenson Button was 19th after an engine change ended his session early. Button's car is scheduled to have two new Honda power units fitted this weekend - complete with mandatory grid penalties - as the team introduce upgrades on a track they expect to struggle on.
That much is already clear, with McLaren 20 km/h slower than the Mercedes cars in the speedtrap at around 340 km/h.
Practice One times:
1. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso, 1:25.990
2. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull, 1:26.295
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:26.295
4. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:26.886
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, 1:27.185
6. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:27.196
7. Valtteri Bottas, Williams, 1:27.303
8. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, 1:27.410
9. Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:27.581
10. Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:27.695
11. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:27.723
12. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:28.498
13. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus, 1:28.559
14. Felipe Nasr, Sauber, 1:28.579
15. Jolyon Palmer, Lotus, 1:28.711
16. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India, 1:29.099
17. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:30.072
18. Alexander Rossi, Manor, 1:30.619
19. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:32.091
20. Will Stevens, Manor, 1:32.866
