F1 Mexico Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying schedule and start time as Lando Norris eyes pole over Max Verstappen

Martin Brundle was comically ignored by Franco Colapinto at the end of his grid walk at the US Grand Prix.

Brundle interviewed the likes of Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen – as well as Olympic gold medalists Gabby Thomas and Armand Duplantis - before the Sky Sports F1 broadcaster headed to the front of the grid.

Brundle attempted to speak to some drivers before the national anthem and walked up to Argentine driver Colapinto, who made his debut in Monza last month.

“Hello, my name is Martin Brundle, Sky - we have not met,” Brundle said. “Can we have a chat?”

Martin Brundle believes F1 needs to change its driver guidelines after Sunday’s clash between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the US Grand Prix.

The two title contenders were involved in a controversial incident on lap 52. Norris overtook Verstappen outside the racetrack before being hit with a five-second penalty, demoting the Brit to fourth and elevating the Red Bull driver to the podium.

While Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle believes Verstappen was “cunning” in his defence of third place on the track, he reinstates the need for clarity in the rules with McLaren aggrieved with the penalty post-race in Austin

“As far as I’m concerned, the six-page Guidelines (therefore not regulations), which have been signed off by the FIA, the drivers’ association (GPDA), and the teams, are a blueprint to dissuade overtaking, especially around the outside,” Brundle said, in his Sky Sports column.

Sky F1 pundit Danica Patrick has voted for Donald Trump in this year’s US presidential election – adding that it is the first time she has ever gone to the polls.

The former NASCAR and IndyCar driver, who was a pundit on Sky Sports’ coverage of the US Grand Prix in Austin last weekend, chaired a town hall with Trump’s running mate JD Vance two weeks ago in North Carolina.

The 42-year-old, who is the only woman to ever win an IndyCar Series race, revealed her early vote on her Instagram page on Wednesday, saying: “I voted today, for the first time.

“I made a rule for myself that if I didn’t vote I could not have an opinion about the outcome, because I didn’t earn that right.

Lando Norris faces an uphill battle as he seeks to deny Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen a fourth consecutive world title.

Norris lost ground in the race for the Drivers’ Championship at the US Grand Prix in Austin as a penalty cost McLaren a podium.

The British driver was sanctioned by the race stewards after a late passing move on Verstappen, with a five-second penalty dropping him below the Dutchman and out of third place.

Norris had begun on pole but dropped down the field as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured a Ferrari one-two, and admitted afterwards that finishing behind Verstappen was a blow to his world title hopes.

Former F1 race winner Johnny Herbert believes Red Bull need to drop Sergio Perez “sooner rather than later” – and should be replaced by RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Perez has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2025 – with an option for 2026 – but has struggled as Max Verstappen’s teammate this year. He has not won a race since April 2023 and trails Verstappen in the championship by 204 points.

The 34-year-old finished seventh in the US Grand Prix on Sunday, while Verstappen finished on the podium. Perez’s future is shrouded in doubt ahead of his home race in Mexico City this weekend.

Red Bull have also relinquished top spot in the constructors’ championship to McLaren and now Ferrari trail them by just eight points. Herbert says now is the time for Christian Horner to make a change.

“Momentum in F1 is very important,” Perez added. “If I get a good one here, then the season can take a huge turn.

“The most important thing is that I feel comfortable in the car. At the moment we are unable to unlock the full potential of the car.

“I feel that we are working towards solving it. We are heading in the right direction. This is Formula One, sometimes the results are not coming, you have to keep your head down and focus on the stuff that you can control.”

“I know I have had a terrible season. It started really well but it has been really difficult for me,” Perez said.

“If I get a strong result (here), it can definitely change my season massively, I am really up for it.

“Having Ferrari there does not change anything, we want to win the constructors, finishing second and third is no difference.

“We want to win it and for that we need both cars with the best possible performance and best possible package.”

Lando Norris has admitted he is “not quite” at Max Verstappen’s “level” during this critical juncture in the Formula 1 title race.

Norris had two chances to narrow the gap to title leader Verstappen last weekend, in Saturday’s US Grand Prix sprint race and in Sunday’s standard race.

Red Bull’s Verstappen started on pole in the sprint and converted for a win, while McLaren’s Norris dropped from second to third. Then, on Sunday, Norris dropped from pole to fourth, while Verstappen fell from second to third.

A dramatic battle late in the race saw Norris penalised for an overtake of Verstappen, costing the Briton a place and seeing the Dutch-Belgian’s lead increase to 57 points – with five Grands Prix and two sprints left.

McLaren have failed in their bid to overturn Lando Norris’ penalty from the United States Grand Prix.

The team invoked a “right of review”, asking the stewards to look again at the turn 12 incident in Austin, where Norris was handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage while overtaking Max Verstappen in the closing stages.

That demoted the British driver below his title rival as the Dutchman extended his championship lead to 57 points.

Ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, Norris repeated his view that the penalty was unfair and said he believes Verstappen, who also left the track, was only ahead at the apex because he braked late and had no intention of making the corner.

Full news report here:

George Russell suffered another high-speed crash as championship leader Max Verstappen complained of engine issues during practice for the Mexico Grand Prix.

Russell, who had earlier topped the standings in first practice, caught the kerb and careered into the barriers at turn nine 12 minutes into the second session.

It comes a week after the Mercedes driver crashed during qualifying in Austin. The British driver was taken to the medical centre and the 90-minute session – an hour of which was devoted to Pirelli tyre testing for 2025 – was red-flagged for 24 minutes. Mercedes later confirmed Russell had been released from the medical centre and was OK.

Full practice report: