McLaren’s mechanics were fastest in Austin

As is traditional, the Mexican race weekend fell at the end of October, coinciding with All Saints’ Day, known in Mexico as Día de los Muertos.

The weekend’s “ofrenda”, a kind of altar intended to welcome the souls of the dead back among the living, features all the great figures from Formula 1 history. Even Hamilton’s dog Roscoe has been included.

Weather models point to a dry Mexican Grand Prix. Conditions should be mostly sunny, with a chance of morning fog. Air temperatures will reach 25 to 27 ˚C.

Another junior driver taking part in first practice in Mexico will be Nikola Tsolov, who will be at the wheel of a Racing Bulls car.

Lando Norris’s junior team LN4 Fusion has secured a place on the Formula 2 grid for the 2027 season. That means it will compete in all the major junior categories: Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Regional, Italian Formula 4 and German Formula 4.

Cadillac has confirmed that Colton Herta will drive in first practice in Mexico. It will be his fifth free practice appearance this season, although the regulations require each team to give rookies at least four outings. Cadillac is clearly doing this to help Herta reach the 40 points needed for a super licence. Will he get Bottas’s seat too?

Ryo Hirakawa will drive for Haas in Mexico. That means the outing will not go to Rafael Camara, who will race for the team next season and would certainly benefit from some mileage in this year’s car.

McLaren has unveiled another special livery and special race suits for Mexico. Should we be asking whether teams are going overboard with all things “special”?

Ferrari president John Elkann visited McLaren’s motorhome on Saturday. Can we now expect speculation about Andrea Stella returning to Maranello?

Kimi Antonelli damaged a wooden fence while filming with Mercedes. From the video, it looks as though he confused first gear with reverse. Well, it seems Antonelli treats company cars much like many other employees do.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg ahead of their appearance in Austin. This needs no further comment.

Several junior drivers will be in action in first practice in Mexico. Frederik Vesti will replace George Russell at Mercedes, while Italian youngster Gabriele Mini will make his race weekend debut with Alpine.