P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell will be one of nine F1 drivers to sit out FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix.
George Russell has explained the benefit of missing Free Practice 1 in the Mexican Grand Prix, avoiding “bad experiences” due to the dusty track conditions in the opening practice session. He will hand over his W16 to Frederik Vesti for FP1, along with eight other regular drivers missing the first 60 minutes of practice at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. In the 2024 FP1 session, Russell set the fastest time of 1:17.998, but the eventual pole time was 1:15.946 by Carlos Sainz, showing a significant improvement as the track conditions evolve. By skipping FP1, Russell believes drivers will approach FP2 with a fresh perspective, without the negative experiences from the first session, making Mexico the track where the least time is lost by missing FP1. All cars, except one, have an FP1 driver for this race.
