Practice report
Formula 1 Mexican GP
F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc beats Kimi Antonelli to top FP1
The Ferrari driver topped opening practice at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, a session that featured 10 rookies
Ed Hardy
Edited: Oct 30, 2026, 7:39 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT images via Getty Images
Charles Leclerc was comfortably fastest in opening practice for the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix, beating runner-up Kimi Antonelli in a session 10 rookies took part in.
The Ferrari driver set a 1m18.128s that was six tenths faster than Formula 1’s champion-elect, whose Mercedes stablemate Frederik Vesti completed the top three with a 1m18.861s.
Vesti – in for George Russell – was one of 10 rookies contesting FP1 with all teams bar Ferrari fielding a youngster, as Mexico is a good place to do so due to the session happening in unrepresentative conditions.
Not only does it start at least 90 minutes before qualifying and the race do on Saturday and Sunday respectively, but the track also evolves aplenty during the weekend as it is rarely used throughout the year.
That evolution was seen early in practice as Leclerc initially set the pace with a 1m21.965s, before lap times continuously tumbled as hard-tyre runner Antonelli soon went 1.151s quicker.
The 20-year-old gained another seven tenths on his next run, a 1m20.155s, before Leclerc lowered the benchmark again to a 1m19.197s, 0.303s quicker than Antonelli’s following lap.
Both drivers frankly dominated the early runs amid power-unit problems on Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, before Lewis Hamilton got in on the act with a 1m19.869s to go third after 25 minutes.
The Ferrari driver subsequently went quickest by 0.060s on his next run, a 1m19.137s, before soft tyre runs commenced at the start of the second half of the one-hour session.
It began with Leclerc going 1.009s faster than his team-mate’s hard-tyre benchmark with a 1m18.128s, soon before Antonelli went 0.659s slower on a 1m18.787s.
Drivers outside of the top three endured a tougher time in the low-grip conditions: technical problems plagued Audi stand-in Freddie Slater, while McLaren pair Leonardo Fornaroli and Oscar Piastri went off in sector one.
Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
Piastri – at the place he lost the championship lead last year – just couldn’t get a tune out of his MCL40, going 1.248s off the pace on his soft-tyre lap with 15 minutes remaining.
Instead it was Vesti who got amongst the act, going third with a 1m18.861s and just 0.080s behind Antonelli.
It was around that time that Jak Crawford caused a brief virtual safety car, having stopped at Turn 1 in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, before drivers returned to the harder compounds for the final 10 minutes.
So Leclerc’s 1m18.128s went unbeaten, 0.659s and 0.733s quicker than Antonelli and Vesti respectively, while Hamilton finished fourth by going 0.738s off the pace.
Fifth went to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull substitute Ayumu Iwasa, the reigning Super Formula champion who set a 1m19.113s on mediums, ahead of sixth-placed Pierre Gasly on soft rubber.
The Alpine driver set a 1m19.210s, while Fernando Alonso (+1.229s), Piastri (+1.248s), Oliver Bearman (+1.284s) and Arvid Lindblad (+1.350s) completed the top 10.
Read Also:
FP1
All Stats
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval Tyres km/h 1 C. Leclerc Ferrari 16
Ferrari Ferrari 29
1'18.128
S 198.320 2
A. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
12 
Mercedes Mercedes 30
+0.659
1'18.787
0.659 S 196.661 3 F. Vesti Mercedes 72
Mercedes Mercedes 24
+0.733
1'18.861
0.074 S 196.477 4 L. Hamilton Ferrari 44
Ferrari Ferrari 25
+0.738
1'18.866
0.005 S 196.464 5 A. Iwasa Red Bull Racing 36
Red Bull Red Bull 23
+0.985
1'19.113
0.247 M 195.851 6 P. Gasly Alpine 10
Alpine Mercedes 33
+1.082
1'19.210
0.097 S 195.611 7 F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14
Aston Martin Honda 29
+1.229
1'19.357
0.147 M 195.249 8 O. Piastri McLaren 81
McLaren Mercedes 30
+1.248
1'19.376
0.019 S 195.202 9 O. Bearman Haas F1 Team 87
Haas Ferrari 28
+1.284
1'19.412
0.036 M 195.114 10 A. Lindblad Racing Bulls 41
RB Red Bull 30
+1.350
1'19.478
0.066 S 194.952 11 I. Hadjar Red Bull Racing 6
Red Bull Red Bull 21
+1.417
1'19.545
0.067 S 194.787 12
N. Tsolov Racing Bulls
91 
RB Red Bull 29
+1.476
1'19.604
0.059 S 194.643 13 N. Hulkenberg Audi 27
Audi Audi 27
+1.480
1'19.608
0.004 M 194.633 14
G. Minì Alpine
62 
Alpine Mercedes 22
+1.818
1'19.946
0.338 S 193.810 15 R. Hirakawa Haas F1 Team 50
Haas Ferrari 30
+1.854
1'19.982
0.036 M 193.723 16 C. Sainz Williams 55
Williams Mercedes 31
+1.878
1'20.006
0.024 M 193.665 17
L. Fornaroli McLaren
67 
McLaren Mercedes 25
+2.107
1'20.235
0.229 S 193.112 18 S. Perez Cadillac F1 Team 11
Cadillac Ferrari 31
+2.267
1'20.395
0.160 M 192.728 19 J. Crawford Aston Martin Racing 34
Aston Martin Honda 15
+2.675
1'20.803
0.408 M 191.755 20 L. Browning Williams 46
Williams Mercedes 33
+2.741
1'20.869
0.066 M 191.598 21
F. Slater Audi
98 
Audi Audi 14
+2.817
1'20.945
0.076 H 191.418 22 C. Herta Cadillac F1 Team 25
Cadillac Ferrari 30
+3.237
1'21.365
0.420 M 190.430 View full results
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article What Fernando Alonso is getting wrong about F1 driving standards
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Ed Hardy
Sergio Perez to skip F1 Mexico GP fan forum due to illness
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
Sergio Perez to skip F1 Mexico GP fan forum due to illness
Why Monza win from 19th still isn't the best of Kimi Antonelli's dominant F1 2026 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Why Monza win from 19th still isn't the best of Kimi Antonelli's dominant F1 2026 season
George Russell confused by lack of pace at F1 US GP despite upgraded W17
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
George Russell confused by lack of pace at F1 US GP despite upgraded W17
Latest news
F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc beats Kimi Antonelli to top FP1
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 min
F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc beats Kimi Antonelli to top FP1
What Fernando Alonso is getting wrong about F1 driving standards
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
What Fernando Alonso is getting wrong about F1 driving standards
F1 Mexico GP: Follow FP1 with live timing
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
1 h
F1 Mexico GP: Follow FP1 with live timing
Sergio Perez to skip F1 Mexico GP fan forum due to illness
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
2 h
Sergio Perez to skip F1 Mexico GP fan forum due to illness
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe