And... just as I hit publish, the soft runners barge their way through the test crew to claim the quickest two times. George Russell sits at the peak of the timing tower, with Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda 0.828secs behind in second.

George Russell is called in for a change of tyres. As he missed the first session to allow Nyck de Vries time in the Mercedes, Russell gets another go with the 2022 tyres and is now running the red-banded softs.

Top three spots on the time sheets, however, are all occupied by the prototype tyres, with Max Verstappen top, Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez second and Carlos Sainz in third.

Jack Doohan tells Sky Sports that it was "very hairy" on the hard tyres because the track was greasy during first practice when the 19-year-old sat in for Esteban Ocon over at Alpine.

Back out on track, Max Verstappen has the future tyres bolted on and goes fastest with a 1:21.588 to jump above the Mercedes of George Russell, who is on the medium compounds.

A flash of yellow has reached the top of the timing sheets as George Russell puts his Mercedes ahead of the prototype pack with a 1:21.742 on the medium tyres.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher both struggle for grip on the dusty Mexican circuit and end running wide in their respective cars.

Mick Schumacher has had to leave team-mate Kevin Magnussen behind in the garage as the mechanics continue to work on the Dane's car. Magnussen is likely to be heading for a five-place grid penalty for this weekend's race after taking a new ICE for FP2.

Medium tyres have been chosen by George Russell, Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda from the drivers who sat out of first practice. As for the 2023 test tyres, Carlos Sainz, who topped the opening session, is the quickest car around the circuit once again with a 1:21.943.

Image source, Getty Images

You can tell Sergio Perez is out on track right now, but can the Mexican fans roar Sergio Perez on to victory on home soil this weekend?

The Red Bull man, who ended up fourth in Austin following his five-place engine penalty, finished third at the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix to send the crowds into raptures and with second place at stake in the championship, the cries of 'Checo! Checo!" could be the extra spice Perez needs to claim his third win of the season.

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 Live

I love Mexico because of the atmosphere. The corners are pleasant, they're nice but it's not like a real driver's circuit in the same way as Austin was last weekend, or Silverstone or Spa that are more iconic.

But it's a really nice weekend because of the crowd, fundamentally. Mexico City is a vibrant city, the people are great, the food is great and it is a feel-good F1 race - although the championships are all wrapped up, so there is less riding on it. I guess the big things is can Sergio Perez take a home win?

Go and knock yourselves out for 90 minutes on those Pirelli test tyres.

We're driving at high altitude this weekend as the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez sits more than 2km above sea level. Take a deep breath before getting in the cockpit.

Lap record in this neck of the woods is a 1:17.774 clocked by Valtteri Bottas back in his Mercedes days at last year's grand prix.

Image source, BBC Sport

The threat of some drizzle is hanging around the circuit Hermanos Rodriguez but the sun is still expected to make an appearance throughout the weekend.

A reminder second practice is being given the full 90 minutes treatment to accommodate Pirelli's 2023 tyre test. Mexico is stepping in after the prototype run at Suzuka was cancelled due to bad weather earlier this month.

This time around, Mexico will be used to assess the softer slick compounds for next year, while in Austin the harder prototypes were run.

BBC Sport has been given an update from Haas as second practice edges closer. "Kevin Magnussen is taking a new ICU for FP2," the team says. "Work is still on-going in the garage but the hope is to be able to get some laps in this afternoon."

Image source, Getty Images

Jack Doohan's run out in first practice was cut short due to issues with the Alpine but his dad, five-time MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan, was still beaming with pride watching his son out on track.

"It's a major box ticked," Doohan told Sky Sports. "This is what all these young drivers aim to do, so as a father to see him there... I've been at every go-kart track along the way, so it's been a magnificent moment. Thanks to Alpine for giving him that moment and hopefully he'll be here every weekend.

"But really, just to tick this box, stay clam and the bring the thing home; I think he did a great job. Small issue out there so they decided to retire the car - which is fine. So I think for the first session out there, he did a good job on a dirty track and he was feeling comfortable."

Here are the full times, gaps and laps from first practice. Twilight Zone shenanigans over at Red Bull as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez both clock the same time and the same number of laps.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz is looking to bounce back after his retirement at the United States Grand Prix and the Spaniard got his Mexico outing off to a positive start by posting the quickest time in FP1.

There was very little to separate the top six drivers, with Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso only a fraction off Sainz's best marker.

Five rookies took part in the first hour to fulfil the young driver obligations but there wasn't much to cheer as Pietro Fittipaldi in the Haas, Alpine's Jack Doohan and Liam Lawson driving the Alpha Tauri all had their sessions ended prematurely due to issues.