Charles Leclerc Dominates Practice As Ferrari Set Pace In Mexico

Charles Leclerc dominated practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, topping both sessions for Ferrari at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. 827. Sky Sports noted that Leclerc was more than half a second clear of the field in first practice, including Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.

Leclerc's performance mirrored his showing at last week's United States Grand Prix in Austin, where he also led the practice sessions, marking the second consecutive race weekend he has topped both sessions.

Championship implications for Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli, 20, is in prime position to wrap up the drivers' title this weekend and can become Formula One's youngest world champion on Sunday. He would also become the first Italian driver to win the title since 1963 if he finishes in the top nine.

Antonelli missed Thursday's media activities while recovering from a virus but returned for practice, finishing fourth in the second session, two-tenths off Leclerc's pace.

He could also secure the championship if his two remaining title rivals, George Russell and Ferrari's seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, fail to win the race.

Russell finished third in the second session for Mercedes after rookie Frederik Vesti stepped in for him in the first session.

Hamilton ended the second session down in 11th after a power failure curtailed his running midway through, with his Ferrari coming to a halt down the pit straight just under halfway through the running.

Incidents and the rest of the field

Max Verstappen, a five-time winner of the Mexico City Grand Prix, finished fifth for Red Bull despite suffering damage in an early clash with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson through the stadium section. The pair have been summoned to the stewards as a result.

Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar was sixth, while Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad finished seventh ahead of Pierre Gasly, Lawson and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren.

The session began with Gasly leading Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto out onto the track, while local favourite Sergio Perez, preparing for his 300th Formula One start, was quickly cautioned for a pit-lane infringement.

Following the appearance of 10 rookie drivers in the opening practice session, all full-time drivers returned for FP2, experimenting with a variety of tyre compounds on the low-grip circuit. A red flag halted the session after 15 minutes when debris appeared on the track.

What happens next

Sunday's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will decide whether Antonelli wraps up the drivers' title. If he does not finish in the top nine, Russell and Hamilton need to fail to win the race for Antonelli to still secure the championship. Ferrari will look to convert their strong practice pace into race success at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Second practice times at the Mexico City Grand Prix

Related on Apex Sports News

• Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari set-up cost him points against Charles Leclerc

• Verstappen calls Lawson behaviour not very smart after Mexico practice collision

• Kimi Antonelli F1 Mexico 2026 title chances explained

Sources

• NDTV Sports

• skysports.com

• espn.com

• Photo: Eustace Bagge, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)