Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the opening practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari-Mercedes top four as ten young drivers took to the track at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Leclerc made a strong start to the Mexican Grand Prix weekend by topping first practice ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, while Frederik Vesti impressed on his return to Formula 1 machinery.
The Ferrari driver posted a 1:18.128 on soft tyres to finish 0.659 seconds clear of Antonelli, with Vesti taking third place in George Russell’s Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton completed the top four after a minor mistake prevented him from improving further on the soft compound.
Ayumu Iwasa was another notable performer, finishing fifth in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull despite setting his time on medium tyres.
The session featured ten young drivers as teams used the opening hour to fulfil their rookie practice commitments while assessing the challenges presented by Mexico City’s high altitude.
Ferrari and Mercedes set the early pace
Leclerc established the first significant benchmark with a 1:21.965 on hard tyres, although the times quickly improved as drivers became more comfortable with the circuit conditions.
Antonelli briefly moved ahead before Iwasa and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad also occupied the top of the timesheets.
Leclerc regained the advantage with a 1:19.917 on hard tyres before switching to softs and setting the session’s fastest lap.
Antonelli responded with the second-fastest time on the same compound but remained more than six-tenths behind the Ferrari.
Vesti moved into third during the closing stages, delivering an encouraging performance in Russell’s absence and finishing ahead of Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion had initially moved into third on hard tyres but was unable to make the most of his subsequent soft-tyre run following a small driving error.
Iwasa finished fifth, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso. Oscar Piastri took eighth for McLaren, with Oliver Bearman and Lindblad completing the top ten.
Vesti and Iwasa stand out among rookie participants
With Ferrari the only team retaining both its regular drivers, the opening session provided an opportunity for ten young drivers to gain experience.
Vesti produced the strongest result among the substitutes, finishing third for Mercedes, while Iwasa’s fifth place represented another positive performance for Red Bull.
Lindblad secured tenth for Racing Bulls, with Nikola Tsolov finishing 12th in Liam Lawson’s car.
Gabriele Minì placed 14th for Alpine, followed by Ryo Hirakawa in the Haas. Leonardo Fornaroli, replacing Lando Norris at McLaren, finished 17th after encountering difficulties at the first corner during his opening soft-tyre run.
Williams’ Luke Browning ended the session 20th, while Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford finished 19th after his running was brought to an early conclusion.
Crawford stoppage interrupts running as Audi faces unusual setback
Crawford triggered a Virtual Safety Car when his Aston Martin stopped at Turn 2 during the final quarter of the session.
The interruption was brief, with normal running resuming shortly afterwards, but the incident brought the American’s practice appearance to an end.
Audi also endured a difficult session with Freddie Slater, whose first FP1 outing was disrupted by an unusual equipment-related incident.
The British driver was recalled to the garage after a cooling fan remained attached to the car when he left the pits.
The matter was noted by race control and referred to the stewards for investigation after the session.
Slater initially completed only installation laps and was unable to register a competitive time, although he eventually returned to the circuit.
He finished 21st after one of his later attempts was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar reported a problem with his Red Bull during the opening stages but managed to return to the garage.
Tsolov also spent time in the garage after experiencing numbness in his right leg, while Carlos Sainz complained over the radio after being impeded by Vesti.
Herta secures final Super Licence point
Colton Herta achieved an important personal objective despite finishing at the bottom of the classification.
The American, driving Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac, needed to complete at least 100 kilometres during the session to earn the remaining point required for his FIA Super Licence.
Herta passed the 24-lap threshold before the chequered flag, securing the final point needed to meet the eligibility requirements for 2027.
His result came despite a difficult session in terms of outright pace, with the American finishing 22nd, behind Audi’s Slater.
High-altitude challenge remains a key focus
Beyond the lap times, teams devoted the opening session to understanding the technical demands of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Mexico City’s altitude presents particular challenges for turbocharger performance, energy recovery and deployment, while cooling requirements remain a significant consideration.
McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Racing Bulls introduced revised engine covers aimed at improving cooling, while Audi brought modified brake ducts and Alpine a revised exhaust winglet.
Several cars also ran with aerodynamic measuring equipment during the opening stages as teams gathered information on their respective configurations.
Leclerc’s pace provided Ferrari with an encouraging opening to the weekend, although Mercedes also demonstrated its potential through Antonelli and Vesti.
With different tyre compounds and running programmes influencing the times, the competitive picture will become clearer as the weekend progresses.
Mexican Grand Prix – FP1 results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:18.128 | 29 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W17 | 1:18.787 | 30 |
| 3 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes W17 | 1:18.861 | 24 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:18.866 | 25 |
| 5 | Ayumu Iwasa | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:19.113 | 23 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:19.210 | 33 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:19.357 | 29 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:19.376 | 30 |
| 9 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:19.412 | 28 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:19.478 | 30 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:19.545 | 21 |
| 12 | Nikola Tsolov | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:19.604 | 29 |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 R26 | 1:19.608 | 27 |
| 14 | Gabriele Mini | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:19.946 | 22 |
| 15 | Ryo Hirakawa | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:19.982 | 30 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:20.006 | 31 |
| 17 | Leonardo Fornaroli | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:20.235 | 25 |
| 18 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | 1:20.395 | 31 |
| 19 | Jak Crawford | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:20.803 | 15 |
| 20 | Luke Browning | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:20.869 | 33 |
| 21 | Freddie Slater | Audi F1 R26 | 1:20.945 | 14 |
| 22 | Colton Herta | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | 1:21.365 | 30 |
