2023 F1 Mexican GP FP3: Full Results and Key Takeaways

The 2023 F1 Mexican GP FP3 was once again full of surprises, especially as it offered more questions than answers. Max Verstappen once again topped the timesheets, but what was surprising were the drivers behind him.

In P2, we had Alex Albon, whose lap was not a glory run in any way. Somehow either Williams ran a higher engine mode or everyone else struggled because the Thai driver was less than a tenth slower than the Red Bull driver.

The duo was followed by Sergio Perez in P3, who seems to be not too far behind his teammate in the 2023 F1 Mexican GP. The Mexican was followed by George Russell, who appeared to hit the sweet spot with the car while his teammate struggled.

So after the final session of practice before we get to the business end of the weekend, what did we learn? Let's take a look.

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2023 F1 Mexican GP FP3: What did we learn?

#1 Max Verstappen seems to have something in hand over opposition

After Friday, it did appear that Red Bull could potentially have a challenge from McLaren and Lando Norris. By the looks of it, while Max has more or less kept his pace, Norris seems to be struggling a little.

Unlike Friday, where there was a partial competitive advantage enjoyed by Max, it seems to have increased on Saturday. McLaren didn't look as comfortable as it tends to, and that is going to be something that the team will be working on before qualifying.

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#2 Major question marks over Alex Albon's pace

That laptime from Alex Albon that catapulted him to the top of the standings was a thing of beauty. It's hard to understand from where he pulled off that lap because, at the same time, Logan Sargeant was more than half a second slower.

The most impressive bit about Albon's lap seems to be the fact that he made up time over his competition in all sectors. It wasn't a case of a Williams being just slippery in a straight line.

So can we claim that Williams is the second-fastest car for the 2023 F1 Mexican GP? Well, let's hold our horses for that one, but it certainly makes for interesting viewing.

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#3 Mercedes in Russell's hands looks potent

The very first lap of the 2023 F1 Mexican GP FP3 from Russell saw him shoot straight to the top by almost half a second from teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The second run on softs was not as impressive, as he was slower than Williams but still held a decent advantage over Lewis. The pace from Mercedes does look credible, and everyone should keep an eye on this one.

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#4 McLaren was a tad off the mark

McLaren should be disappointed with FP3 unless the team ran an engine that was intentionally turned down. The car did not look as hooked up as it was yesterday, and that meant Mercedes leapfrogged the team in the pecking order.

There might simply be a case of McLaren being too conservative with the fuel loads, but that's certainly something that pulls the team down a peg.

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#5 The spot behind the top 4 teams is up for grabs at the 2023 F1 Mexican GP

The quartet at the front of the grid features Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari. These are the four teams that will fight for the podium consistently (maybe even an occasional win).

Behind these four, it's open business! Any team that can qualify for the 2023 F1 Mexican GP will be the one getting points and a top-10 finish in the race.

It could have been Aston Martin or Alpine, but neither have shown the kind of performances here, and this does open the door for teams like Williams, Haas, and Alfa Romeo.