Leclerc sets early pace as rookies impress in Mexico sessionPractice 1 Report -

Charles Leclerc
© Ferrari

Charles Leclerc led the way in the opening free practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, as nine rookie drivers gained valuable experience around the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Ferrari driver topped the session with a 1m18.380s lap, narrowly ahead of Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg.

With teams required to allocate two Friday sessions each season to young drivers, several regulars—including Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton—sat out FP1. That opened the door for a group of rookies, among them 17-year-old Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad, who impressed by finishing sixth overall.

Track conditions were predictably tricky early on, as the circuit’s dusty surface limited grip during the opening half-hour. Antonelli briefly headed the times with a 1m20.035s on soft tyres before the pace rapidly tumbled once more runners switched to the red-walled Pirellis. Leclerc’s eventual benchmark of 1m18.380s kept Ferrari atop the order by just 0.107s, while Hülkenberg’s 1m18.760s placed the German third.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fourth fastest on a 1m18.784s, narrowly ahead of the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, who posted a 1m18.916s. Lindblad completed the top six with a 1m18.997s, marking him out as the quickest of the nine rookies taking part. The young Briton’s performance, within six tenths of Leclerc’s leading time, strengthened his credentials as a potential Racing Bulls driver for 2026.

Behind them, Haas driver Esteban Ocon set a 1m19.038s to finish seventh, ahead of Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda on 1m19.090s. Alpine’s Franco Colapinto rounded out the top ten with a 1m19.331s. Alex Albon followed in 11th on mediums at 1m19.384s, marginally faster than Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar’s 1m19.409s.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso managed 12th on softs with 1m19.472s, while local hero Pato O’Ward was 13th for McLaren in 1m19.680s. Frederik Vesti took 14th for Mercedes with 1m19.689s, ahead of Alpine’s Paul Aron, Haas’s Ryo Hirakawa and Racing Bulls’ Ayumu Iwasa. Williams’ Luke Browning and Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford were 18th and 19th, with Ferrari’s Le Mans winner Antonio Fuoco 20th after a low-key run in 1m20.854s.

Despite several minor off-track excursions from Colapinto, Hadjar, and Piastri, the hour-long session ran without incident, giving teams a clean start to their Mexican Grand Prix weekend preparations.