Leclerc Fastest by 0.659s at Mexico City Grand Prix as Antonelli Needs Only Ninth for the Title

Charles Leclerc set the pace in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, finishing 0.659 seconds clear of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in a session where ten rookies took over cars from the regular drivers. The result matters less for its headline than for what it hints at on Sunday. Antonelli is poised to be crowned world champion, and Ferrari look strong at altitude.

Antonelli’s title picture at the Mexico City Grand Prix

The arithmetic strongly favours the young Italian. A ninth-place finish clinches the championship whatever else happens. The only theoretical way to stop him is a win for his Mercedes team-mate George Russell or for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Even then, he would need only ninth if Russell wins, or 10th if Hamilton does.

Leclerc’s margin gives Ferrari reason for optimism. Sky Sports pointed to the team’s small turbo working well in the thin air at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Hamilton was fourth after what was described as a scruffy soft-tyre lap. Ferrari were also the only team to run both of their regular drivers in the session, and they are looking for only their third win of the season.

A session full of rookies

Teams often use Mexico City for their mandatory rookie running because the opening session is usually unrepresentative on a dirty track. This weekend is also not a Sprint weekend, and the circuit is considered relatively simple. That explains the unusual order. Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti, in Russell’s car, was third, less than a tenth behind Antonelli. Ayumu Iwasa was fifth in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, under a second off the pace on mediums. Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten.

Not every debut went smoothly. Briton Freddie Slater’s first grand prix weekend outing for Audi was cut to 14 laps, about half a normal run, because of reliability problems. He still got out late to set the 19th-fastest time. Sky Sports reported that Audi are under investigation for sending him out with a cooling fan on the car and are likely to face a big fine. Aston Martin’s Jak Crawford stopped on track with a technical problem, and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar had an early power-unit issue that ruled out serious qualifying simulations. Racing Bulls’ Nikola Tsolov, making his practice debut, finished about a tenth behind Lindblad despite saying that blood flow to his right leg had been restricted by his seat.

Herta reaches the superlicence threshold

The most consequential storyline may be off the timing screens. Colton Herta finished 22nd, but the FIA says he has now covered enough distance to reach the 40 superlicence points required to race in Formula 1. Sky Sports reported that senior figures at Cadillac are keen to give him a 2027 drive. That would threaten Valtteri Bottas’ seat, despite the multi-year deal he signed when he joined the new team. Liam Lawson’s future at Racing Bulls is also unsettled. Tsolov, a Red Bull junior, could become Formula 2 champion, and Red Bull have traditionally promoted their young drivers quickly.

The regular drivers return for second practice on Friday at 10pm UK time, which should give a truer read on whether Ferrari’s pace is genuine and whether Antonelli’s title is as safe as the numbers suggest.

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File photo: 2024-08-25 Motorsport, Formel 1, Großer Preis der Niederlande 2024 STP 3978 by Stepro (cropped2).jpg by Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.