Leclerc sweeps Friday practice at Mexico City GP as Hamilton stops with power loss

Charles Leclerc set the pace in both Friday practice sessions at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday 30 October. His best lap of 1m17.827s in FP2 left Lando Norris 0.103s behind and George Russell 0.106s back. It was a mixed day for Ferrari, though: Lewis Hamilton lost power midway through FP2 and was told to stop on track.

Leclerc keeps Ferrari on top

Leclerc opened the weekend with a 1m18.128s in FP1, ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. In the evening session he went quicker on soft tyres, despite a lock-up at Turn 1 that spoiled one attempt. Speedcafe noted it was the fifth practice session in a row topped by a Ferrari.

Behind the top three, Antonelli was fourth for Mercedes, roughly two tenths off Leclerc, with Max Verstappen fifth for Red Bull. Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri completed the top ten, with Piastri 0.642s from the top. F1-Fansite reported that the leading four teams were covered by around three tenths.

Speaking to his team afterwards, Leclerc said Ferrari's performance looked fine but that the car still had limiting factors to work on before Saturday.

Hamilton's Ferrari stops in FP2

Hamilton had looked quick on medium tyres early in FP2 but reported a loss of power through Turn 13. Ferrari told him to stop between Turns 3 and 4, which brought out a brief virtual safety car. He ended the session 11th and missed his long run. Ferrari has not said what caused the problem. Hamilton said afterwards that the car had felt quick, which made the early stop frustrating.

The session was also halted by a red flag after Verstappen and Lawson made contact in the stadium section, leaving debris on the track. The stewards looked at that incident after the session.

Long runs point to a close Sunday

Autosport's analysis of the FP2 race simulations put Norris on top, averaging 1m21.319s over 13 laps on softs. Russell averaged 1m21.442s over 12 laps on softs, Verstappen 1m21.490s over nine laps, and Leclerc 1m21.501s over 14 laps on mediums. Those numbers suggest Ferrari's one-lap advantage may not carry over to race pace.

Soft-tyre degradation looked low, at roughly 0.05s per lap on Autosport's rough estimate, and both the soft and medium compounds appeared usable over a stint.

Ten rookies and a quiet day for others

Ten rookies drove in FP1, so several regulars, including Verstappen, Russell and Norris, only got going in FP2. Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti went third fastest in Russell's car and Ayumu Iwasa was fifth in Verstappen's Red Bull.

Others had a tough time. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto sat out FP1 and managed only a handful of laps in FP2 while the team fixed a problem. Haas fitted Oliver Bearman with a replacement engine after smoke at the end of FP1, and Esteban Ocon complained of power steering trouble.

What comes next (Malaysia time)

Final practice runs at 01:30 MYT on Sunday 1 November (11:30 local on Saturday), with qualifying at 05:00 MYT on Sunday. The 71-lap race starts at 04:00 MYT on Monday 2 November (14:00 local on Sunday).

Key takeaways

• Leclerc topped FP1 (1m18.128s) and FP2 (1m17.827s) in Mexico City.
• Norris and Russell finished FP2 within 0.106s of Leclerc, with Antonelli fourth.
• Hamilton stopped with a power loss in FP2 and finished 11th.
• Norris had the best FP2 long-run average, ahead of Russell, Verstappen and Leclerc.
• Qualifying starts at 05:00 MYT on Sunday 1 November.

FAQ

Q: Who was fastest in practice at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix? A: Charles Leclerc topped both FP1 and FP2 for Ferrari, with a best time of 1m17.827s in FP2.

Q: What happened to Lewis Hamilton in FP2? A: He reported a loss of power and was told to stop on track, which brought out a virtual safety car. Ferrari has not given a cause yet.

Q: When is Mexico City GP qualifying in Malaysia time? A: Qualifying starts at 05:00 MYT on Sunday 1 November, and the race at 04:00 MYT on Monday 2 November.

Sources: Speedcafe, Autosport, F1-Fansite, Formula1.com, RacingNews365