Lando Norris secured the fastest time in the third free practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, recording a 1:17.600 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The McLaren driver edged out Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by a narrow 0.001 seconds. Charles Leclerc placed third for Ferrari, 0.117 seconds off Norris’s pace.
Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the second McLaren, with Max Verstappen fifth for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton completed the top six for Ferrari. Verstappen’s time of 1:17.950 placed him 0.350 seconds behind Norris.
The session was preceded by significant personnel changes and penalties. Haas replaced Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the remainder of the weekend. This unexpected change, announced on Saturday, includes Hirakawa participating in qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Haas did not provide a specific reason for Ocon’s immediate departure, only confirming it was not due to illness. Reports indicate a breakdown in the relationship between Ocon and the team, potentially involving disciplinary action.
Ocon was already scheduled to leave Haas at the conclusion of the 2026 season. Hirakawa, at 32 years old, becomes the oldest Formula 1 debutant since André Lotterer in 2014. He brings a background of endurance racing success, including a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory and multiple FIA World Endurance Championship titles with Toyota.
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson both received one-place grid penalties for Sunday’s race following a collision during Friday’s second free practice. The incident occurred in the stadium section of the circuit when Verstappen, on a preparation lap, made contact with Lawson, who was on a cool-down lap.
Stewards deemed the actions of both drivers ‘unacceptable,’ citing a prior warning issued at the team managers’ meeting. Verstappen publicly criticised Lawson’s driving, describing it as ‘not very smart behaviour,’ particularly given Lawson’s ongoing efforts to secure his seat.
The collision resulted in damage to Verstappen’s Red Bull RB22, specifically its bargeboard, which affected his performance in FP2. Both drivers also incurred one penalty point on their super licences.
Verstappen also voiced frustration with the RB22’s practice starts, labelling them a ‘disaster’ and joking about a Le Mans-style running start. Red Bull has acknowledged a ‘disconnect’ in the RB22’s balance, contributing to tyre degradation and handling issues, particularly exacerbated by Mexico City’s high altitude.
Kimi Antonelli, who finished second in FP3, has the opportunity to secure his first Formula 1 World Championship this weekend. He leads teammate George Russell by 123 points in the 2026 standings. Antonelli has already claimed nine Grand Prix victories this season.
Ferrari demonstrated strong performance throughout Friday, with Charles Leclerc topping both FP1 and FP2. The SF-26 has shown particular strength in cornering, especially in slow and medium-speed sections, benefiting from reduced aerodynamic drag at high altitude.
However, Lewis Hamilton’s FP2 session was cut short due to a power unit issue, which the team is investigating. Ferrari’s setup for Mexico includes a more aggressive approach to kerbs, utilising softer suspension tuning for improved traction in low-speed turns.
Gabriel Bortoleto experienced a challenging start to the weekend for Audi. His Friday running was severely limited due to technical problems with his car, including issues with a cooling fan. Audi was subsequently referred to the stewards for breaching F1 Sporting Code Article B3.3 by obscuring parts of Bortoleto’s car during repairs.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, situated over 2,200 metres above sea level, presents unique challenges. The thinner air reduces aerodynamic downforce and places increased demands on power unit cooling and turbocharger performance. Pirelli has supplied the C3, C4, and C5 compounds for the event.
