Charles Leclerc tops both Friday practice sessions in Mexico City

Charles Leclerc Mexico practice pace put Ferrari on top of both Friday sessions at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, giving the team an encouraging start before qualifying.

Leclerc set a 1:18.128 in FP1, finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. He then went faster in FP2 with a 1:17.827, beating Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds and George Russell by 0.106 seconds. Ferrari therefore ended Friday with Leclerc quickest in both sessions.

According to Formula 1, 10 of the 11 teams gave track time to young drivers during FP1. Ferrari kept both regular drivers in the cars instead.

Charles Leclerc Mexico pace strengthens Ferrari’s weekend

Leclerc’s pace gave Ferrari an encouraging start, although first practice alone rarely tells the full story at the high-altitude Mexico City circuit. Teams still had tyre data, fuel loads and qualifying simulations to work through before Saturday.

Antonelli’s second place gave Mercedes another positive sign. Meanwhile, Vesti’s third-place finish stood out among the young drivers taking part in the session.

Lewis Hamilton ended the session 0.738 seconds away from Leclerc’s benchmark, keeping both Ferraris near the front of the timesheets.

Ferrari looks ahead to qualifying

Attention now turns to the remaining practice sessions and qualifying on October 31. The 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix is scheduled for November 1 and will run over 71 laps.

Conditions at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez can change quickly, especially because of the circuit’s altitude. Therefore, teams will continue adjusting cooling, downforce and tyre management as the weekend develops.

Leclerc said Ferrari still had work to do on the car’s limiting factors, despite leading both sessions. That matters because Mexico’s high altitude reduces aerodynamic grip and places extra stress on cooling. Ferrari will now use the Friday data to refine the setup before FP3 and qualifying. Starting near the front will be important because the long run to Turn 1 creates both an overtaking chance and a first-lap risk.

Featured image: Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari SF-26 during the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. Photo by Steffen Prößdorf / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. File photo, not taken in Mexico.

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