Leclerc leads rookie-filled FP1 in Mexico as Antonelli and Vesti complete top three

Charles Leclerc topped a chaotic opening practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday, setting a 1m18.128s to finish 0.659 seconds clear of Kimi Antonelli as ten rookies took part in the Mexico Grand Prix’s FP1.

Antonelli, Formula 1’s champion-elect, ended second for Mercedes, with his stablemate Frederik Vesti — standing in for George Russell — completing the top three with a 1m18.861s, just 0.080s behind the Italian.

All teams bar Ferrari were required to field a rookie in the session, a regulation that suits Mexico City particularly well. FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez begins significantly earlier than qualifying and the race, meaning track conditions are far less representative, and the circuit’s limited annual use means the surface evolves considerably across the weekend — factors that reduce the cost of running an inexperienced driver.

That evolution was evident from the opening laps. Leclerc initially led on a 1m21.965s before lap times tumbled rapidly, with Antonelli — on hard tyres — soon going 1.151 seconds quicker. The 20-year-old continued to improve before Leclerc reclaimed the advantage, and the pair traded fastest laps through the first half of the session.

Lewis Hamilton joined the battle after 25 minutes, briefly going third with a 1m19.869s, but it was Leclerc’s soft-tyre effort of 1m18.128s, set at the start of the second half, that ultimately proved unbeatable.

Drivers outside the top three struggled in the low-grip conditions. Audi stand-in Freddie Slater was hampered by technical problems, while McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli and Oscar Piastri both ran wide in sector one. Piastri, returning to the circuit where he lost the championship lead last season, could not extract pace from his MCL40, ending 1.248s off the pace on his soft-tyre run with 15 minutes remaining.

A brief virtual safety car was triggered when Jak Crawford stopped at Turn 1 in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, before drivers switched back to harder compounds for the closing ten minutes without threatening Leclerc’s benchmark.

Hamilton finished fourth, 0.738s off the pace, while Ayumu Iwasa — deputising for Max Verstappen at Red Bull — took fifth on medium tyres with a 1m19.113s. The reigning Super Formula champion was followed by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in sixth on soft rubber with a 1m19.210s.

Isack Hadjar’s session was disrupted by power-unit problems on his Red Bull early in the hour, limiting his representative running in what is only his second season of Formula 1.