Lewis Hamilton worries confirmed by Mercedes boss after surprising Mexican Grand Prix FP1

Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo recorded the quickest times and surprisingly Renault duo Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg were just behind.

The Mercedes team of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas were fifth and six, ahead of their Ferrari rivals Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.

The gap between Hamilton and leader Verstappen was almost one and a half seconds.

And Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admitted his team have a power issue to rectify ahead of this weekend’s race.

“The altitude is totally different here,” Wolff said after the first practice session.

“You can see that it is lacking power.

“Renault seem to be in good shape in the first free practice so it will be interesting to see where they are tomorrow.

“It was like this in the past years and I think the Red Bull with the Renault have made a step forward.”

Hamilton can wrap up his fifth world title this weekend if he finishes seventh or higher, or if Vettel fails to win the race.

The Brit secured the Championship on the same track last year with a ninth-placed finish.

But Wolff wants his main man to secure as many points as possible to help with the Constructors’ Championship.

“You need to still finish the race. The Drivers’ Championship looks more secure,” Wolff added.

“The Constructors’ we have a solid gap but we still need to perform well and get our act together.

“There is still a long way to go.

“I do remember last year celebrating the Championship and I think we had the Constructors’ already.”