Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set a commanding pace during the opening practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, outpacing the field by more than half a second at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Leclerc clocked a lap time that left him 0.659 seconds clear of Mercedes driver and championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari’s strong performance in the high-altitude conditions is widely attributed to their small turbo performing effectively in the thin air. Team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished fourth after posting a scruffy lap on soft tyres, providing further encouragement for the Scuderia as they pursue their third victory of the season.
For Antonelli, the opening session is unlikely to derail a weekend where he can secure the Formula 1 drivers’ world championship. The Italian rookie-turned-contender needs only a top-nine finish on Sunday to mathematically clinch the title.
With regulations requiring teams to field rookie drivers in both cars at least twice during the season, ten teams sidelined their regular drivers for the morning session, taking advantage of the relatively straightforward circuit layout and the absence of a Sprint weekend. Ferrari was the only constructor to run its regular driver lineup throughout the session.
Among the replacement drivers, Mercedes reserve and 2023 Formula 2 runner-up Frederik Vesti posted the third-fastest time, finishing less than a tenth of a second behind Antonelli. Ayumu Iwasa also impressed by taking fifth place in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, running within a second of the pace on medium tyres.
American driver Colton Herta completed 24 laps during the session, reaching the 100km threshold required to earn another super-licence point. The milestone brings Herta’s total to 39 points, leaving him just one short of the 40 required for full-time Formula 1 eligibility. Industry reports indicate that senior figures at Cadillac are interested in securing Herta for a 2027 race seat, potentially threatening Valtteri Bottas’s multi-year arrangement with the newcomer team.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson also faces questions over his future seat despite sitting ninth in the drivers’ standings, as Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov vies for the Formula 2 crown and potential promotion. Tsolov made his practice debut in Mexico on Friday, finishing just one tenth behind Arvid Lindblad despite experiencing a physical restriction when his car’s seat compression temporarily cut off circulation in his right leg.
Other rookie outings encountered complications. British teenager Freddie Slater managed only 14 laps in his Audi debut before stopping due to a technical issue, while Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford also ground to a halt on track. Audi faces a prospective heavy fine after stewards placed the team under investigation for sending Slater onto the track with a cooling fan still attached to his car. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar similarly saw his running curtailed by an early power-unit problem that prevented him from completing serious qualifying simulations.
