Ferrari alone at the top
Charles Leclerc set the pace in first practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, stopping the clock at 1:18.128. That left Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes more than six tenths behind. Lewis Hamilton and the second Mercedes sat roughly seven tenths adrift.
Antonelli had skipped Thursday’s media day with a virus, and the paddock watched him closely on Friday. There was no sign of illness. He went to the top of the timesheet early, only for Leclerc to move well clear. The Italian can clinch the world title in Mexico on Sunday, which explains the attention.
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Rookies take over ten cars
Ten of the eleven teams handed their cars to young drivers for the session. Ferrari were the only team to run their regular pair, saving their rookie outing for Brazil, where Rafael Camara is due to drive next week. George Russell gave up his Mercedes to Fred Vesti, while Leonardo Fornaroli drove for McLaren, Ayumu Iwasa for Red Bull, Nikola Tsolov for Racing Bulls and Gabriele Mini for Alpine. Local hero Sergio Perez drew the loudest roars from the grandstands.
Gasly shines, Hadjar struggles
Pierre Gasly keeps showing that the Alpine works when a track has few corners. He ran fourth for a long stretch and finished sixth in 1:19.210. Isack Hadjar lost around twenty minutes of running with another Red Bull problem, after he and Max Verstappen complained about their engines in Texas last week. He ended four tenths behind the other Red Bull, which posted the fifth-best time in 1:19.113.
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