Charles Leclerc made the perfect start to the Mexico City weekend, topping the opening practice session with a 1:18.128 for Ferrari. Kimi Antonelli finished second, 0.659 seconds behind, while Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti took third, filling in for George Russell. Lewis Hamilton completed a strong session for Ferrari in fourth, just 0.005 seconds behind Vesti.
The session featured ten drivers making way for young drivers as part of the teams’ rookie running requirements. Among the notable appearances were Ayumu Iwasa in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, Nikola Tsolov at Racing Bulls, and Leonardo Fornaroli taking Norris’ spot at McLaren. Iwasa impressed by finishing fifth, less than a second off Leclerc’s leading time, while Colton Herta, running for Cadillac, completed 30 laps in an important outing for his Formula 1 Super License qualification.
Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpine, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri. Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top ten, with Leclerc comfortably establishing Ferrari as the team to beat in the opening hour.
