The sun is still shinning in Mexico in late autumn and temperatures are set to be pleasant throughout the weekend, albeit cooler than we saw in Austin a week ago.

For today's practice sessions there is a zero chance of rain and just a light northeasterly wind.

OK, so who out of the first team are we missing? It's Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu and Fernando Alonso.

Mexican driver Pato O'Ward is one of the first cars to take to the track in the McLaren.

BBC Sounds

Hola, Harry Benjamin, McLaren Formula E Driver Sam Bird and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this page using the 'listen live' tab is where you'll find commentary. If you have a smart speaker, you can also ask BBC Sounds to play Mexico City Grand Prix practice one.

Keep your eyes on the youngsters in this first practice session.

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The keys to first practice have been handed over to the rookies in Mexico City with many teams running young drivers as we edge closer to the conclusion of the season.

Before they join the grid full time in 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman are back with us; Antonelli in the Mercedes - his second appearance following his Monza debut - and Briton Bearman on Ferrari duty. We last saw Bearman driving the Scuderia when he was substituting for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia in March.

McLaren not only have a rookie in their car, but it's a home driver, too. IndyCar's Pato O’Ward has been mobbed by fans on his arrival back home and the fans are sure to be raucous when he takes to the track for the opening hour.

And last but not least, Robert Shwartzman is jumping in the car over at Sauber.

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This is a special weekend for Fernando Alonso, as the Spaniard is celebrating his 400th grand prix in Formula 1. An astonishing achievement.

However, illness can spring up at any time and unfortunately, the 43-year-old was laid low during Thursday's media duties because he was feeling unwell.

Aston Martin said Alonso was focused fully on returning to full fitness for his stint in second practice. Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich was already pencilled in to take part in FP1 this weekend, so Alonso gets to put his feet for an hour and relax.

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The task ahead of Lando Norris is a big 'un, there's no doubt about that, but it's not impossible.

With only five races left of the 2024 season, including two more sprint weekends, BBC Sport analyses the title battle to examine what the McLaren driver needs to do, the factors that may help him and whether history offers him hope.

Have a read here

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With Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz claiming the top two steps on the podium at COTA, Ferrari have made the constructors' championship a three-way fight. While the Italian team need 40 points to catch leaders McLaren, the gap between themselves and Red Bull is only eight points in the build-up to Mexico.

Haas' weekend on home soil was very rewarding and after points in both the sprint race and Sunday grand prix, the American-based team have jumped above RB by two points and now occupy sixth place outright in the standings.

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Max Verstappen just needs to stay one step ahead of Lando Norris in the final five races and a fourth consecutive drivers' crown will be his. The Dutchman extended his championship lead by 57 points in Austin thanks to a win in the shorter sprint and a third-placed finish in the main grand prix.

Now, a joint Verstappen-Norris collapse in the title race would be extreme, but Charles Leclerc is not completely out of the fight just yet. The Ferrari driver is 79 points behind Verstappen and just 22 points away from Norris' second-placed total.

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Hello, folks. The second race of this first triple-header to end the 2024 campaign has arrived at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the bustling metropolis of Mexico City.

We said goodbye in Texas a week ago with Charles Leclerc victorious at the United States Grand Prix thanks to his sublime jump from fourth to first on the opening lap, and Max Verstappen still with the upper-hand on Lando Norris drivers' championship.

First practice in Mexico gets under way at 19:30 BST.

Second practice, which will be 90 minutes to accommodate Pirelli 2025 tyre test, goes green at 23:00 BST.

Commentary on both sessions will be available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and smart speakers, plus at the top of this page using the 'listen live' tab.

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The races are rapidly running out for Lando Norris in his bid to overhaul Max Verstappen's championship lead and claim a maiden Formula 1 title all for himself.

Third place in the sprint and fourth in the main event has left the McLaren driver trailing Verstappen by 57 points in the standings. If this box office fight is to make it all the way to Abu Dhabi in December, then Norris needs to outscore the Dutchman by an average of nearly 12 points a race with 146 still available.

In the aftermath of some captivating duelling in Austin, Norris and Verstappen will go wheel-to-wheel again in the colourful setting of the high altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Ding Ding! Round 20.