Leclerc tops opening practice ahead of Antonelli at Mexico City Grand Prix

Leclerc leads Mexico City opening practice

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari recorded the fastest lap in Friday’s opening free-practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, leading Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli by 0.659 seconds. Leclerc’s best time was one minute and 18.128 seconds. The session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez included 10 rookie reserve drivers and was briefly interrupted by a Virtual Safety Car.

Antonelli could clinch the title Sunday

Antonelli, the runaway championship leader, could become Formula 1’s youngest world champion on Sunday if he finishes in the top nine. He could also secure the title if both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton fail to win. The reports said Antonelli could also become Italy’s first champion since 1953 under those conditions.

Antonelli had missed Thursday’s track action while recovering from a virus but returned for Friday’s session. Russell did not take part and watched reserve driver Frederik Vesti, who finished third overall and was the second-fastest Mercedes driver.

Rooks and established drivers shared the field

Red Bull rookie Ayumi Iwasa was fifth in the car normally driven by Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar finished 11th in the second Red Bull after reporting power-unit problems. Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpine, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad.

Hamilton was first on track for Ferrari, which used aerodynamic rakes to gather data for its setup. He said earlier that he intended to continue racing “for the foreseeable future” while remaining competitive and pursuing an appearance at the planned African Grand Prix in Rwanda.