Mexico City GP: Max Verstappen fastest in third practice as Alex Albon shines for Williams ahead of qualifying

It could be a very tight qualifying session on Saturday evening in Mexico City, as several teams were working behind Max Verstappen during the final training session; watch qualifying live on Sky Sports F1 at 10pm, with build-up from 9pm

Max Verstappen led Alex Albon in an unusual final practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with many uncertainties surrounding the qualifying pecking order

Verstappen was just 0.070 seconds ahead of Albon with five different teams in the top six, following on from Friday’s race, as the field looks tightly packed.

Sergio Perez was third, behind George Russell, who came out of the blocks very quickly as he initially set the fastest time of the weekend, in fourth place.

Mercedes disappointed on Friday, but Russell clearly had more fun with the car 0.361 seconds behind Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton was 10th, another three tenths behind, losing a lot of time in turns 4 and 5.

Alfa Romeo is competitive in Mexico City with Valtteri Bottas in sixth place, behind Oscar Piastri, and just half a second off the leading pace. Bottas is something of a specialist at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having taken pole position in 2021, and does well on slippery surfaces.

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Former strategist Bernie Collins explains the impact the high altitude will have on the cars at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Ferraris involved in incidents at end of session

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished 13th and 15th respectively, but were unable to get good soft tires under their belts towards the end of the session due to traffic.

Leclerc encountered a slow Kevin Magnussen in the fast middle sector and was forced to retreat, while Sainz spun to avoid Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin – the latter incident noted but not investigated.

AlphaTauri had a strong performance with Yuki Tsunoda in seventh and Daniel Ricciardo in ninth, underscoring that it will be a big battle to reach Q3 later on Saturday.

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Take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments that took place during the Mexico City Grand Prix

When can you only watch the Mexico City GP live on Sky Sports F1?

Saturday
9 p.m.: Mexico City GP qualifying build-up (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
10 p.m.: Mexico City GP qualifying (also on Sky Sports Main Event)

Sunday
6:30 PM: Grand Prix Sunday Mexico City GP build-up (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
8 p.m.: The GRAND PRIZE OF MEXICO CITY (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
10 p.m.: Checkered flag: Mexico City GP

F1 is in Mexico for the middle leg of the US triple header. Watch the entire Mexico City Grand Prix weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s race at 8pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW