2025 Mexico City GP FP1: Leclerc Leads the Way as Rookies Shake Up Mexico

Charles Leclerc opened the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend in commanding style, topping the timesheets in Free Practice 1 ahead of Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli and Haas veteran Nico Hülkenberg. The Ferrari driver clocked a best lap of 1:18.380, edging Antonelli by just over a tenth of a second, as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez played host to a highly unusual session featuring nine rookie drivers taking part in the opening hour of running.

Leclerc’s pace-setting run underlined Ferrari’s intent to return to the sharp end after their long-awaited podium in Austin, while Antonelli continued to showcase his growing credentials with another impressive performance for Mercedes.

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Hülkenberg delivered a strong showing for Kick Sauber, finishing third and splitting the McLarens, with Drivers’ Championship leader Oscar Piastri just 0.404s off Leclerc in fourth. His teammate and title rival, Lando Norris, along with Max Verstappen, were both sidelined for this session, watching from the pit wall as their young stand-ins gained valuable mileage. With few races to go in the 2025 F1 World Championship, every lap of data matters, especially in the thin air of Mexico City, where setups and tyre temperatures are notoriously difficult to perfect.

The early stages of FP1 were dusty and low-grip as Esteban Ocon briefly topped the times with a 1:20.934, before the rookies began to find their rhythm. Isack Hadjar and Antonelli traded fastest laps through the first half-hour, but it was Piastri who first dipped under the 1m20s mark with a 1:19.035, also becoming the first driver to bolt on the red-walled Soft tyres after just 25 minutes. His initial advantage of nearly a full second didn’t last long — Leclerc hit back with a 1:18.895, Antonelli then went quicker with a 1:18.487, before Leclerc reasserted himself at the top with what would remain the benchmark time of 1:18.380.

Behind the frontrunners, the influx of rookies made for a fascinating shake-up of the midfield order. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed in the second Kick Sauber to round out the top five, while Arvid Lindblad, deputising for Verstappen at Red Bull, delivered a standout performance to finish sixth — just six-tenths off Leclerc’s pace. Red Bull arrived in Mexico with a new floor and updated cooling package, giving Lindblad valuable experience as he eyes a potential step up to the 2026 grid.

Ocon ended the session seventh for Alpine, followed by Yuki Tsunoda in eighth, with Franco Colapinto (Alpine) and Alex Albon (Williams) completing the top 10. Hadjar finished 11th after a small off at Turn 12 that saw him reverse out of the run-off area, while Fernando Alonso was 12th in the Aston Martin. Among the rest of the stand-in drivers, Pato O’Ward flew the flag for Mexico in McLaren’s garage, edging Frederik Vesti (Mercedes) and Paul Aron (Alpine). Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Luke Browning (Williams), Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), and Antonio Fuoco — 2.4 seconds down on teammate Leclerc — completed the timesheet.

All 20 full-time drivers, including Norris and Verstappen, will return for Free Practice 2 later on Friday, when the true competitive picture for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix will begin to take shape.

2025 Mexico City GP FP1 Results

2025 Mexico City Grand Prix FP1, 24 October 2025