Piastri Seeks to Regain Ground at the Mexican Grand Prix
Championship leader Oscar Piastri placed fourth in the first practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the pace.
Piastri, from Australia, will seek a solid weekend to boost his title campaign. His championship lead has been reduced since his victory in Zandvoort at the end of August.
In the four races following his victory, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen surpassed him. Currently, Piastri leads Norris by 14 points and Verstappen by 40.
In Austin, Piastri was separated from his rivals by the Ferrari drivers, Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Piastri will be wary of the threat they pose this weekend.
Leclerc finished the session 0.107 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, with Piastri more than four tenths off the pace and behind Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.
The inaugural session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was not representative, with Norris and Verstappen among the nine drivers who did not participate.
Norris ceded his car to the Mexican Pato O’Ward, who suffered food poisoning before the practice and sought medical attention after the session. Verstappen’s Red Bull was driven by the 18-year-old British driver Arvid Lindblad.
Hamilton and George Russell also observed as teams fulfilled their obligation to allow rookie drivers to participate in practice sessions four times during the season.
Lindblad was the best of the rookies, finishing sixth, which could increase his chances of getting a seat at Red Bull for next season.
