Leclerc Dominates Mexico City Grand Prix Practice, Poised for Title

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix. Leclerc finished 0.659 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who needs only a ninth-place finish to clinch his first world title.

Antonelli's championship aspirations remain strong even if his teammates George Russell or Lewis Hamilton win, as he would still secure the title with a ninth or tenth-place finish, respectively.

Frederik Vesti, driving for Mercedes, was third fastest in the session, followed by his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Rookie Sessions and Track Conditions

Mercedes was one of ten teams that utilized the practice session for mandatory rookie running, with Ferrari being the only team to field both its regular race drivers. Teams often select the Mexico City circuit for these sessions, as the traditional condition of the track surface makes the first practice less representative of true performance.

Ayumu Iwasa, substituting for Max Verstappen at Red Bull, secured the fifth-fastest time, ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Haas driver Oliver Bearman, and Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top 10.

Briton Freddie Slater experienced limitations in his first Grand Prix weekend outing for Audi due to reliability issues, restricting his running to 14 laps. He managed to set the 19th fastest time in the final 20 minutes of the session. Another Briton, Luke Browning, was just ahead of Slater in his run for Williams.

Colton Herta, a potential candidate for an F1 seat next year with Cadillac, finished 22nd. The team believes Herta has now accumulated sufficient mileage to meet the superlicence requirements for Formula 1.