F1 Mexico: Leclerc beats Antonelli in FP1 with 10 rookies

The Mexico City Formula 1 Grand Prix opened with a first practice session dominated by Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver set the fastest time, 1:18.128 on soft tyres, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, 0.659s clear of championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes). The session featured 10 rookies standing in for regular drivers.

Leclerc on top, Ferrari lurking

Leclerc improved steadily through the session, going from 1:19.197 to 1:18.128 on his soft-tyre runs. Antonelli took second. Lewis Hamilton was fourth, just 0.005s off third. Hamilton began the session with an aerodynamic evaluation programme, with flow-measuring equipment fitted to his Ferrari. Fernando Alonso, seventh for Aston Martin, was 1.229s off the pace.

Rookies near the top

Each team must give a car to a driver with no more than two Grands Prix in two FP1 sessions per car. In Mexico City, Frederik Vesti replaced George Russell at Mercedes and was third, 0.074s behind Antonelli. Ayumu Iwasa, in for Max Verstappen at Red Bull, was fifth, 0.985s off. Behind them came Pierre Gasly (Alpine) sixth, Oscar Piastri (McLaren) eighth, Oliver Bearman (Haas) ninth and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) tenth. Other rookies: Gabriele Minì (Alpine, 14th), Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren, 17th), Luke Browning (Williams, 20th), Colton Herta (Cadillac, 21st) and Freddie Slater (Audi, 22nd).

Incidents and stakes

• Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) reported a loss of power and an engine-braking problem, then steering difficulties.
• Jak Crawford stopped his Aston Martin at Turn 1 after 15 laps, bringing out a virtual safety car; an energy recovery system problem is suspected.
• Freddie Slater lost part of his running: a cooling component had been left in the sidepod. Audi was set to be investigated by the stewards over an unsafe release.
• Oliver Bearman returned to the pits with smoke coming from his car, apparently from overheating brakes.
• Colton Herta completed 30 laps; Cadillac says he has now reached 40 superlicence points.
• Sergio Pérez was making his 300th Grand Prix weekend appearance, at home.

Key takeaways

With so many regular drivers absent and teams focused on evaluation programmes, this opening hour gives only an initial indication of the pecking order. The next sessions, with the regular drivers, will show whether Ferrari can confirm its pace.