Alex Albon crashed into British teenager Oliver Bearman in first practice for the Mexican Grand Prix as George Russell set the early pace.
The Williams driver lost control of his car when Bearman slowed on the outside to allow him to pass at Turn 10, understeering into the Ferrari’s front wheel at high speed before spinning into the barriers.
Albon quickly blamed Bearman for the unusual practice incident, calling the 19-year-old an “idiot” over the team radio.
Bearman, who has competed in two races this season for Ferrari and Haas, was removed from the session when Albon was hit by the medical car.
Bearman was one of five rookies taking part in the opening practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and title contender Lando Norris handed his McLaren over to Mexican driver Pato O’Ward.
Norris, who is 57 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship standings, watched from the McLaren garage as O’Ward set the 13th fastest time, while his teammate Oscar Piastri was only sixth.
Verstappen said over the radio as the session drew to a close that “there is something wrong with the engine” as the Dutchman posted the fourth-fastest time.
Red Bull confirmed they were investigating a “power unit issue.” Verstappen would incur a penalty if he has to take a new one.
Team principal Christian Horner said after the session that this was a “minor” issue which they hoped had been resolved.
He was more than eight tenths behind Mercedes leader Russell, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz second ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Local favorite Sergio Pérez, who admitted on Thursday that he has had a “terrible season”, could only manage 10th place in the second Red Bull.
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli, who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year, crashed just 10 minutes into his Formula One debut in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in August.
Things didn’t start much better here, as Antonelli got back into the seven-time world champion’s car, when he ran over a piece of debris after five minutes and the session was red-flagged.
Antonelli managed to complete 18 laps on this occasion and finished 12th in the standings.
