Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of champion‑elect Kimi Antonelli. The gap underlined Ferrari’s expectation of strong performance at the high‑altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where their small turbo works well.
Former champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth after a scruffy soft‑tyre lap but will be buoyed by his teammate’s pace as Ferrari look to secure only their third win of the season. Ten rookies replaced the usual full‑time drivers, the teams taking advantage of the circuit’s relative simplicity and the non‑Sprint format to fulfil the regulation that a rookie must run in both cars at least twice each season.
Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti led the rookies in third, less than a tenth behind Antonelli, while Ayumu Iwasa impressed in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in fifth. Colton Herta completed 24 laps, earning another super‑licence point and reaching the 40‑point minimum to become a full‑time F1 driver, with Cadillac reportedly keen on signing him for 2027.
Other driver movements included Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson facing uncertainty, Estonian Nikola Tsolov making his practice debut for Racing Bulls just a tenth behind Arvid Lindblad, and British teenager Freddie Slater limited to 14 laps for Audi due to an issue. Aston Martin rookie Jak Crawford also stopped on track with a technical problem, while Audi are under investigation for a cooling fault.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing