Russell sees Ferrari as leading threat after Mexico practice

George Russell identified Ferrari as the leading threat after Friday practice in Mexico City, where the team topped both sessions with Charles Leclerc.

Russell said he did not think Leclerc had properly completed his lap; Lewis Hamilton also missed some FP2 running after an engine issue.

Russell himself had only FP2 running, having given the opening session to rookie Fred Vesti. He finished the second practice third, one tenth behind Leclerc.

Mexico’s high altitude and low air density add another challenge. Russell said most teams had been running high downforce across the season, leaving less grip in Mexico than they were used to. He also cited turbo lag and said the top four were closely matched. Before qualifying, Russell said the session could go either way: “So I need to pull the lap out when it matters.”