Alex Albon fumes at 'idiot' Ferrari ring-in as Mexican Grand Prix practice descends into chaos

Williams gun Alex Albon was left fuming at Ferrari ring-in Oliver Bearman after the pair collided on track during practice for the Mexican Grand Prix.

Albon crashed heavily into the barrier after the pair clipped on the exit of a fast left-hander.

Albon was on a fast lap when he approached the slow Ferrari, but lost control right as he arrived on the scene. Albon's right rear tyre clipped Bearman's left front, which destroyed the suspension and sent the Williams into the wall.

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"Idiot," Albon said on team radio of Bearman – who was driving Charles Leclerc's car – after he hit the wall.

In commentary, Karun Chandhok said it was a "complete misunderstanding" between the two drivers.

"That's a big one. That's just wrong place, wrong time ... Albon got a snap of oversteer," he said.

The stewards agreed, and decided against penalising either driver.

Bearman, who will race for the Haas team in 2025, was one of five rookie drivers taking part in the opening session of the weekend. F1 rules dictate teams must run a rookie driver in two opening practice sessions throughout the year.

George Russell topped the first session of the day, but his afternoon would only get worse. He would suffer his second heavy crash in the space of a week.

Having crashed late in qualifying last time out in Austin, Russell's car bottomed out as he ran over a kerb which caused it to bounce and spin. He too then slid into the barrier at high speed.

Russell was able to climb from the car unaided, albeit gingerly and clutching at his chest. He was taken to the on-course medical centre but released a short time later.

"I just don't know what happened," Russell said.

"It bounced on the ground and before I could catch it had spun ... It's one thing after another at the moment for us so it's a lot of work for the guys.

"It means that FP3 will be very important, so I hope the car is fixed."

Despite the damage sustained in Bearman's crash, Leclerc finished the day fourth-fastest, less than two tenths off pace setting teammate Carlos Sainz.

The drivers will have one more practice session on Sunday morning (AEDT) before qualifying. The race will begin at 7am Monday (AEDT).