- Charles Leclerc topped both Friday practice sessions for Ferrari in Mexico City
- Lando Norris and George Russell finished just 0.003secs apart behind him in FP2
- Championship leader Kimi Antonelli was second in FP1 and fourth in FP2
Charles Leclerc set the pace in both Friday practice sessions at the Mexico City Grand Prix as Ferrari made an encouraging start at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Leclerc led Kimi Antonelli by more than six-tenths in a rookie-heavy FP1 before lowering his benchmark to 1:17.827 in the second session. Lando Norris finished 0.103secs behind in second, with George Russell only 0.003secs further back and championship leader Antonelli fourth.
Leclerc comfortably leads FP1
Friday’s opening hour offered an unusual picture of the field, with several regular drivers giving up their cars for mandatory young-driver running. Leclerc was comfortably quickest with a 1:18.128, finishing 0.659secs ahead of Antonelli. Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti impressed in George Russell’s car to take third, just 0.005secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Ayumu Iwasa was fifth while replacing Max Verstappen at Red Bull, with Pierre Gasly sixth and Fernando Alonso seventh. Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.
Grip was limited on a dusty circuit early in the session, and there were several mistakes as the track improved. Nico Hulkenberg locked up heavily at Turn 1, while Lindblad ran wide at Turn 12 and Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli caught a sizeable slide while driving Lando Norris’ McLaren.
Mexico City Grand Prix FP1 – Top 10
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.128 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.659 |
| 3 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | +0.733 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.738 |
| 5 | Ayumu Iwasa | Red Bull | +0.985 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.082 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.229 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.248 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.284 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.350 |
Norris closes in during FP2
The return of the regular drivers made FP2 a more representative session, and the gap at the front narrowed considerably. Hamilton initially led for Ferrari before Leclerc moved ahead, although Norris briefly put McLaren on top during the soft-tyre runs. Leclerc responded with a 1:17.827 and remained quickest to the chequered flag, completing a Friday clean sweep for Ferrari.
Norris was 0.103secs behind, while Russell’s late improvement put him third and only three-thousandths behind the McLaren. Antonelli finished fourth, 0.217secs off Leclerc, with Verstappen fifth on his first appearance of the weekend.
Verstappen’s session included contact with Liam Lawson as the pair ran side-by-side through Turn 12. Debris from the incident prompted a short red flag, with Verstappen returning to the pits with floor damage before rejoining the session. Isack Hadjar was sixth in the second Red Bull, followed by Lindblad and Gasly. Lawson recovered to ninth, and Piastri completed the top 10.
Mexico City Grand Prix FP2 – Top 10
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:17.827 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.103 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.106 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.217 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.311 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.410 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.562 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.580 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.628 |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.642 |
Hamilton loses valuable track time
Hamilton’s encouraging start to FP2 ended when Ferrari instructed him to stop on track after he reported losing power from Turn 13. A Virtual Safety Car was briefly deployed, and Hamilton took no further part, leaving him 11th after completing 13 laps. Ferrari later confirmed the stoppage was caused by a power unit issue.
Hamilton said afterwards that the car had felt quick before the problem and suggested Ferrari did not need to make major set-up changes overnight. His early finish did, however, cost him the long-run work normally used to prepare for Sunday’s race.
Leclerc had a much more productive afternoon, completing 35 laps as well as setting the fastest time. Ferrari therefore ended Friday with the quickest car over one lap but an incomplete picture on Hamilton’s side of the garage.
What Friday told us
FP1 needs to be treated cautiously because so many regular drivers were absent, but the second session pointed towards a close fight involving Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull. Only 0.311secs covered Leclerc, Norris, Russell, Antonelli and Verstappen. Ferrari looked particularly comfortable in the slower corners, although Leclerc admitted the slippery surface had made conditions difficult and said there was still work to do overnight.
Mercedes also emerged in good shape. Russell was within 0.106secs of the benchmark despite missing FP1, while Antonelli finished inside the top four in both sessions as he began a weekend in which he can secure his first Formula 1 world championship. Antonelli needs only ninth place on Sunday to guarantee the title, leaving the 20-year-old with little reason to take unnecessary risks. His Friday pace nevertheless suggested Mercedes should be part of the fight near the front.
For Hamilton, Saturday begins with Ferrari needing to establish that his power unit problem has been resolved. For everyone else, FP3 should provide the final indication of whether Leclerc’s Friday advantage can survive into qualifying. Third practice begins at 5.30pm GMT on Saturday, with qualifying at 9pm. Our Mexico City Grand Prix weekend guide has the full UK and US timetable and viewing details.
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