Lando Norris narrowly beat Kimi Antonelli to the fastest time in final practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with just one thousandth of a second separating the McLaren and Mercedes drivers ahead of qualifying.
McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the final practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with a lap of 1:17.600, edging Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by the smallest possible margin on the timing screens.
Charles Leclerc completed the top three for Ferrari, just 0.117 seconds behind Norris, as three different teams occupied the leading positions in a closely contested session.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the second McLaren, ahead of Max Verstappen, who endured a frustrating afternoon in his Red Bull.
Norris Snatches Top Spot in Final Minutes
Ferrari initially appeared well placed to continue its strong form from Friday, when Leclerc had led both practice sessions.
Lewis Hamilton briefly headed the timesheets before Leclerc reclaimed first place with a 1:18.185 on medium tyres.
As the teams switched their attention to qualifying preparations, George Russell moved to the top with a 1:18.107 on soft tyres.
Norris then lowered the benchmark to 1:17.873, only for Antonelli to respond with a 1:17.601, placing the Italian comfortably ahead of his Mercedes team-mate.
Leclerc was also improving but abandoned one attempt after making a mistake over a kerb.
The closing minutes produced another change at the front as Norris improved to 1:17.600, beating Antonelli by just 0.001 seconds.
Antonelli was unable to improve further, while Leclerc secured third place despite a final attempt that brought him closer to the leading pair.
Piastri took fourth, giving McLaren two cars inside the top four ahead of qualifying.
Verstappen Struggles With Braking Problems
Verstappen finished fifth after experiencing difficulties with his Red Bull throughout the session.
The Dutchman complained over team radio that his brakes were not working properly, describing their performance as “horrible”.
Despite completing another flying lap towards the end of the session, he was unable to improve his position.
Hamilton finished sixth, followed by Russell in seventh, while Isack Hadjar recovered to eighth despite earlier expressing considerable frustration with his car’s handling.
Hadjar had complained that he had not experienced a car performing so poorly at any point this season.
Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10 for Racing Bulls, with both drivers finishing approximately half a second away from Norris’s benchmark.
Hirakawa Makes First Appearance Following Ocon Withdrawal
The session also marked Ryo Hirakawa’s first appearance since Haas announced that he would replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
The Japanese driver completed an early installation lap before continuing his preparations for qualifying.
Hirakawa eventually finished 19th, having not completed another representative flying lap on tyres during the closing stages when track conditions had improved.
Elsewhere, Gabriel Bortoleto encountered further engine trouble, while Cadillac confirmed that Sergio Pérez required a power unit change following a problem early in the session.
Neither driver recorded a representative lap time.
Lance Stroll also experienced another mechanical issue in his Aston Martin, following difficulties on Friday.
Qualifying Battle Remains Open
Norris’s narrow advantage over Antonelli leaves little to separate the leading contenders heading into qualifying.
Ferrari remains competitive after Leclerc’s strong Friday showing, while McLaren’s pace and Antonelli’s performance suggest that the fight for the front row could involve several teams.
For Verstappen, the immediate challenge will be addressing the braking difficulties that limited his final practice performance.
With Norris, Antonelli and Leclerc separated by just over a tenth of a second, the final practice results leave the competitive order finely balanced ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:17.600 | 26 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W17 | 1:17.601 | 24 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:17.717 | 21 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:17.795 | 20 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:17.951 | 21 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:18.069 | 18 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes W17 | 1:18.107 | 27 |
| 8 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:18.109 | 19 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:18.113 | 28 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:18.137 | 29 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 R26 | 1:18.560 | 32 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:18.652 | 31 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:18.674 | 26 |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:18.850 | 25 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:18.927 | 22 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:19.214 | 22 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:19.301 | 26 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:19.376 | 21 |
| 19 | Ryō Hirakawa | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:19.504 | 32 |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | 1:20.342 | 22 |
| 21 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi F1 R26 | – :—.— | 2 |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | – :—.— | 1 |
