The racing weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez started unusually for Lando Norris, as the reigning Formula 1 world champion sat out the first practice session. Instead, young Italian talent Leo Fornaroli took over the cockpit of his McLaren challenger for 25 laps.
The rookie, who secured the Formula 2 crown and prepares for a World Endurance Championship campaign next year, struggled significantly with getting the tyres into the proper operating window. He noted that locking up on his very first corner compromised his entire soft tyre run and overall performance.
"It was very difficult to get the tyres up to the right temperature. I already locked the front wheels in the first corner and that naturally affected the whole run on the soft tyres and of course the performance," the junior driver admitted.
Despite the lost track time, the 13-time Grand Prix winner expressed gratitude for the important data gathered by the team reserve during the opening session. He emphasized that the early groundwork provides a positive trajectory for the rest of the weekend.
"Thanks to Leo for his support in the first practice. There is still a lot of work ahead for the team, but we have a good base to build on," stated the experienced British star.
Norris bounced back strongly when he stepped back into the car for the second practice session, missing out on the absolute benchmark by a mere fraction of a tenth and slotting into second place behind the championship leader.
Looking ahead to the battle for the front row, the 26-year-old driver stressed that the raw pace is evident, though the incredibly tight field spread means execution during the qualifying hour will prove decisive.
"If you look at the timesheet of the second practice, it wasn't a bad day. However, it was another challenge to drive the car fast. The pace is certainly there, but the density of performance in the field is very high. That's why how we execute qualifying will be crucial," he highlighted.
With competitive speed demonstrated and thorough data analysis underway within the engineering department, anticipation for the pole position shootout in Mexico continues to reach a fever pitch.
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