Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fastest in both Friday practice sessions ahead of the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sharply criticized former teammate Liam Lawson after a second-session collision at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Leclerc set a benchmark lap of 1:17.827 in the afternoon session to beat McLaren’s reigning world champion Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds, according to the FIA report. Mercedes driver George Russell took third, 0.106 seconds off the pace, just ahead of his 20-year-old teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli in fourth.
Earlier on Friday, Leclerc topped the opening session with a 1:18.128, finishing 0.659 seconds clear of Antonelli, Formula 1 reported. Several rookies stepped into race seats for that first run, with Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti placing third in Russell’s car ahead of fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton, while Ayumu Iwasa finished fifth in Verstappen’s Red Bull, Nikola Tsolov took 12th in Lawson’s Racing Bulls entry, Leonardo Fornaroli went 17th in Norris’s McLaren, and Freddie Slater drove Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.
“Overall, our performance looks quite all right, but we still need to work on some of our limiting factors. It was quite tricky on track today, as the surface was slippery,” Leclerc said after Friday’s running, as quoted by ABC News.
Verstappen and Lawson Clash Triggers Red Flag
The second practice session was halted by red flags with 47 minutes remaining when Verstappen, a five-time winner in Mexico, and Racing Bulls driver Lawson made contact at Turn 15, scattering debris from the Dutchman’s car across the circuit.
“He literally just drove into me. Every weekend,” Lawson said over team radio immediately after the contact.
Verstappen hit back at the New Zealander, whose Racing Bulls seat alongside Arvid Lindblad has yet to be confirmed for the 2027 season.
“At the end of the day, it is not going to change my weekend, but if I were him I would act a little smarter. And when you’re fighting for your seat, it’s not very smart behaviour,” Verstappen said.
Despite sustaining floor damage in the clash, Verstappen clocked a 1:18.138 to end the second session fifth fastest, 0.311 seconds behind Leclerc. “It could have gone better, but we’re not too far off and just have some fine tuning to do. No one has much grip here but it is the same for us all and nothing new,” Verstappen said.
Hamilton Suffers Power Failure as Antonelli Nears Title
While Leclerc set the pace for Ferrari, his teammate and seven-time world champion Hamilton hit trouble in the second session. The two-time Mexico winner stopped trackside with half an hour remaining, triggering a Virtual Safety Car and sitting out the rest of the afternoon.
“Something is wrong with the power, I lost all power through Turn 13,” Hamilton reported over team radio.
Friday’s action sets the stage for a weekend that can crown Antonelli as Formula 1’s youngest world champion. After topping the mid-season driver ratings earlier in the campaign, the Italian arrives in Mexico City with 365 points to Russell’s 242, holding a 123-point advantage with four rounds remaining.
Antonelli missed Thursday’s media day to recover from a viral illness before returning to the cockpit on Friday. He needs only two more points, equivalent to a ninth-place finish on Sunday, to clinch the drivers’ title, while Russell must win the race to stay mathematically in contention. Last week at the United States Grand Prix in Texas, Leclerc also swept both Friday practice sessions before Antonelli won on Sunday.
Drivers return to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday, October 31, for a final practice session and qualifying ahead of Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix.