Leclerc leads Friday practice while rookies dominate Mexico Grand Prix sessions

Charles Leclerc set the fastest times in both Friday practice sessions at the Mexico Grand Prix, extending Ferrari's strong showing on a circuit that began the weekend in dusty, low-grip conditions. Ten of the 22 drivers in the opening practice (FP1) were making their first Formula 1 start, reflecting the impact of the rookie rule introduced for the 2026 season. Ferrari was the only team to run both of its regular drivers in FP1, as Lewis Hamilton used the session for front-wing testing on the SF-26.

Lock-ups were common as drivers adjusted to the new 2026 cars, which rely heavily on ERS for rear-axle braking. Despite the challenges, Frederik Vesti in George Russell’s Mercedes and Ayumu Iwasa in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull both broke into the top five. Leclerc’s pace placed him ahead of Kimi Antonelli in FP1 and he repeated the performance in FP2, where Hamilton withdrew after a suspected power-unit issue.

Technical problems affected several teams. Haas’s Ollie Bearman required an engine swap after a smoky FP1, while an Audi power-train issue delayed the team’s work. In the qualifying simulations, Mercedes stayed within a competitive bracket, with Antonelli only 0.2 seconds slower than Leclerc. Verstappen and Liam Lawson’s on-track tussle resulted in Verstappen losing a bargeboard, a loss whose impact on lap times was unclear.

Analysis of long-run tyre performance indicated that both soft and medium compounds were viable, with soft tyres showing a modest drop-off of about 0.05 seconds per lap over a maximum 15-lap stint. Norris’s soft-tyre pace was slightly ahead of Russell’s, while Ferrari’s medium-tyre run remained marginally slower. Pierre Gasly’s medium-tyre pace out-performed Franco Colapinto’s soft-tyre stint, suggesting a good balance for the French driver.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso posted a strong stint that placed the team above Williams, while Sergio Perez, despite illness, delivered solid practice times. Overall, the Friday sessions highlighted a tight battle at the front of the grid and a significant presence of rookie drivers shaping the early weekend narrative.