F1 Mexico GP: Leclerc beats Antonelli to top FP1

Charles Leclerc was comfortably fastest in opening practice for the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix, beating runner-up Kimi Antonelli in a session 10 rookies took part in.

The Ferrari driver set a 1m18.128s that was six tenths faster than Formula 1’s champion-elect, whose Mercedes stablemate Frederik Vesti completed the top three with a 1m18.861s.

Vesti – in for George Russell – was one of 10 rookies contesting FP1 with all teams bar Ferrari fielding a youngster, as Mexico is a good place to do so due to the session happening in unrepresentative conditions. 

Not only does it start at least 90 minutes before qualifying and the race do on Saturday and Sunday respectively, but the track also evolves aplenty during the weekend as it is rarely used throughout the year. 

That evolution was seen early in practice as Leclerc initially set the pace with a 1m21.965s, before lap times continuously tumbled as hard-tyre runner Antonelli soon went 1.151s quicker.

The 20-year-old gained another seven tenths on his next run, a 1m20.155s, before Leclerc lowered the benchmark again to a 1m19.197s, 0.303s quicker than Antonelli’s following lap. 

Both drivers frankly dominated the early runs amid power-unit problems on Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, before Lewis Hamilton got in on the act with a 1m19.869s to go third after 25 minutes. 

The Ferrari driver subsequently went quickest by 0.060s on his next run, a 1m19.137s, before soft tyre runs commenced at the start of the second half of the one-hour session.

It began with Leclerc going 1.009s faster than his team-mate’s hard-tyre benchmark with a 1m18.128s, soon before Antonelli went 0.659s slower on a 1m18.787s.

Drivers outside of the top three endured a tougher time in the low-grip conditions: technical problems plagued Audi stand-in Freddie Slater, while McLaren pair Leonardo Fornaroli and Oscar Piastri went off in sector one.

Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Piastri – at the place he lost the championship lead last year – just couldn’t get a tune out of his MCL40, going 1.248s off the pace on his soft-tyre lap with 15 minutes remaining. 

Instead it was Vesti who got amongst the act, going third with a 1m18.861s and just 0.080s behind Antonelli. 

It was around that time that Jak Crawford caused a brief virtual safety car, having stopped at Turn 1 in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, before drivers returned to the harder compounds for the final 10 minutes.

So Leclerc’s 1m18.128s went unbeaten, 0.659s and 0.733s quicker than Antonelli and Vesti respectively, while Hamilton finished fourth by going 0.738s off the pace.

Fifth went to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull substitute Ayumu Iwasa, the reigning Super Formula champion who set a 1m19.113s on mediums, ahead of sixth-placed Pierre Gasly on soft rubber.

The Alpine driver set a 1m19.210s, while Fernando Alonso (+1.229s), Piastri (+1.248s), Oliver Bearman (+1.284s) and Arvid Lindblad (+1.350s) completed the top 10.

FP1

All Stats

 

Cla	Driver	#		Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Interval	Tyres	km/h
1	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16		Ferrari	Ferrari	29	1'18.128		S	198.320
2	A. Antonelli Mercedes	12		Mercedes	Mercedes	30	+0.659 1'18.787	0.659	S	196.661
3	F. Vesti Mercedes	72		Mercedes	Mercedes	24	+0.733 1'18.861	0.074	S	196.477
4	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44		Ferrari	Ferrari	25	+0.738 1'18.866	0.005	S	196.464
5	A. Iwasa Red Bull Racing	36		Red Bull	Red Bull	23	+0.985 1'19.113	0.247	M	195.851
6	P. Gasly Alpine	10		Alpine	Mercedes	33	+1.082 1'19.210	0.097	S	195.611
7	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14		Aston Martin	Honda	29	+1.229 1'19.357	0.147	M	195.249
8	O. Piastri McLaren	81		McLaren	Mercedes	30	+1.248 1'19.376	0.019	S	195.202
9	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87		Haas	Ferrari	28	+1.284 1'19.412	0.036	M	195.114
10	A. Lindblad Racing Bulls	41		RB	Red Bull	30	+1.350 1'19.478	0.066	S	194.952
11	I. Hadjar Red Bull Racing	6		Red Bull	Red Bull	21	+1.417 1'19.545	0.067	S	194.787
12	N. Tsolov Racing Bulls	91		RB	Red Bull	29	+1.476 1'19.604	0.059	S	194.643
13	N. Hulkenberg Audi	27		Audi	Audi	27	+1.480 1'19.608	0.004	M	194.633
14	G. Minì Alpine	62		Alpine	Mercedes	22	+1.818 1'19.946	0.338	S	193.810
15	R. Hirakawa Haas F1 Team	50		Haas	Ferrari	30	+1.854 1'19.982	0.036	M	193.723
16	C. Sainz Williams	55		Williams	Mercedes	31	+1.878 1'20.006	0.024	M	193.665
17	L. Fornaroli McLaren	67		McLaren	Mercedes	25	+2.107 1'20.235	0.229	S	193.112
18	S. Perez Cadillac F1 Team	11		Cadillac	Ferrari	31	+2.267 1'20.395	0.160	M	192.728
19	J. Crawford Aston Martin Racing	34		Aston Martin	Honda	15	+2.675 1'20.803	0.408	M	191.755
20	L. Browning Williams	46		Williams	Mercedes	33	+2.741 1'20.869	0.066	M	191.598
21	F. Slater Audi	98		Audi	Audi	14	+2.817 1'20.945	0.076	H	191.418
22	C. Herta Cadillac F1 Team	25		Cadillac	Ferrari	30	+3.237 1'21.365	0.420	M	190.430
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