F1 Mexico GP: Norris tops FP3 as Piastri struggles again

McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has topped final practice at the Mexico Grand Prix ahead of Saturday's qualifying session, while the Briton's title rivals appeared on the back foot.

In the final quarter of the one-hour session at a low-grip Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Norris set a 1m16.633s lap to beat Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' George Russell, with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen fifth and sixth.

Final practice got off to a slow start in unrepresentative conditions for qualifying later on Saturday afternoon. Verstappen set the first lap time, a 1m18.914s on mediums which would end up over two second slower than the final benchmarks.

Hamilton was tracking to go quicker until he went wide in the second sector as his struggles with the Ferrari's brakes seemed to continue. Verstappen then clocked a 1m18.051s on mediums to fend off a host of fellow medium runners until Carlos Sainz's 1m18.028s soft-tyre lap put the Williams driver on top by the 15-minute mark.

After locking up the front right on his first medium-tyre push lap, Norris eventually grabbed the top spot with a 1m18.015s, while team-mate Piastri again looked a step behind on mediums, as he did on Friday.

Russell was the first driver to dip below the 1m18s mark with a 1m17.892s on mediums, but the wait continued for more representative laps on the C5 soft tyre, which Pirelli projects to be up to seven tenths faster per lap around the high-altitude Mexico City venue.

Albon threatened to go quickest to underline that point, until he locked up and went wide in the Foro Sol stadium section. But the Williams man heralded the start of a frantic barrage of qualifying simulations inside the final 15 minutes.

Isack Hadjar, Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton all cycled through to the lead until Norris fired in a 1m16.633s lap that stayed on top until the chequered flag.

Hamilton was second, three tenths in arrears, followed by Russell, Leclerc and Piastri, who heads into qualifying six tenths behind team-mate and title rival Norris.

Having wrapped up a long run on mediums, Verstappen's soft-tyre attempts were disappointing too, the Dutchman only sixth-fastest ahead of Antonelli. Verstappen is expected to have deployed more conservative engine modes, but the reigning world champion also lamented a lack of grip from his RB21.

After scolding fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly for getting in his way, Hadjar was eighth-fastest in the Racing Bulls car. Yuki Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10.

Mexico GP - Free Practice 3

FP3

All Stats

 

Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Interval	Tyres	km/h
1	L. Norris McLaren	4		McLaren	Mercedes	22	1'16.633		S	202.189
2	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44		Ferrari	Ferrari	29	+0.345 1'16.978	0.345	S	201.283
3	G. Russell Mercedes	63		Mercedes	Mercedes	19	+0.512 1'17.145	0.167	S	200.847
4	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	26	+0.566 1'17.199	0.054	S	200.707
5	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	23	+0.599 1'17.232	0.033	S	200.621
6	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1		Red Bull	Red Bull	30	+0.609 1'17.242	0.010	S	200.595
7	A. Antonelli Mercedes	12		Mercedes	Mercedes	19	+0.620 1'17.253	0.011	S	200.566
8	I. Hadjar RB	6		RB	Honda	19	+0.763 1'17.396	0.143	S	200.196
9	Y. Tsunoda Red Bull Racing	22		Red Bull	Red Bull	23	+0.782 1'17.415	0.019	S	200.147
10	G. Bortoleto Sauber	5		Sauber	Ferrari	24	+0.893 1'17.526	0.111	S	199.860
11	L. Lawson RB	30		RB	Honda	20	+0.919 1'17.552	0.026	S	199.793
12	E. Ocon Haas F1 Team	31		Haas	Ferrari	26	+0.941 1'17.574	0.022	S	199.737
13	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18		Aston Martin	Mercedes	23	+0.965 1'17.598	0.024	S	199.675
14	N. Hulkenberg Sauber	27		Sauber	Ferrari	25	+1.031 1'17.664	0.066	S	199.505
15	C. Sainz Williams	55		Williams	Mercedes	24	+1.168 1'17.801	0.137	S	199.154
16	A. Albon Williams	23		Williams	Mercedes	20	+1.361 1'17.994	0.193	S	198.661
17	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87		Haas	Ferrari	23	+1.413 1'18.046	0.052	S	198.529
18	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Renault	24	+1.779 1'18.412	0.366	S	197.602
19	F. Colapinto Alpine	43		Alpine	Renault	22	+1.948 1'18.581	0.169	S	197.177
20	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Mercedes	12	+1.978 1'18.611	0.030	M	197.102
View full results