Autobayng News Team
Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on top of the times in the opening practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix, in which nine regular drivers were replaced by rookies.
Ferrari bookended the times as Antonio Fuoco, driving Lewis Hamilton’s SF-25 in this session, was slowest, almost two-and-a-half seconds off Leclerc’s pace. However he and the other eight rookie drivers all avoided any dramas during their hour of running.
The track conditions improved dramatically over the course of the session as the 20 cars lifted a significant amount of dust from its surface. Those who ran latest therefore set among the most competitive times.
Championship leader Oscar Piastri therefore may not have been too alarmed to fall to fourth in the times after being the first driver to complete a lap on soft tyres. However he did have a dramatic moment at the high-speed turn-in to turn seven, catching a snap of oversteer. As well as Leclerc, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Nico Hulkenberg also beat Piastri’s best effort.
Hulkenberg gave an early indication that Sauber may enjoy as positive a weekend in Mexico as they did in Texas a week ago. He was backed up by team mate Gabriel Bortoleto, a newcomer to the circuit, in fifth place.
Arvid Lindblad faced the daunting responsibility of taking over Max Verstappen’s car for the first session. As the championship contender observed from Red Bull’s pit wall, Lindblad gave an excellent account of himself, finishing sixth ahead of the team’s regular driver Yuki Tsunoda, who did his soft tyre run earlier in the session. Esteban Ocon split the pair of them.
Franco Colapinto was ninth fastest for Alpine, half a second faster than Paul Aron, who is understood to be his only rival for the seat next year. Alexander Albon completed the top 10.
After the session the stewards summoned Lindblad for potentially impeding McLaren’s Pato O’Ward during the session.
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2025 Mexican Grand Prix first practice result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’18.380 | 29 | |
| 2 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’18.487 | 0.107 | 35 |
| 3 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’18.760 | 0.380 | 27 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’18.784 | 0.404 | 31 |
| 5 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’18.916 | 0.536 | 28 |
| 6 | 36 | Arvid Lindblad | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’18.997 | 0.617 | 26 |
| 7 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’19.038 | 0.658 | 29 |
| 8 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’19.090 | 0.710 | 29 |
| 9 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’19.331 | 0.951 | 28 |
| 10 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’19.384 | 1.004 | 33 |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’19.409 | 1.029 | 32 |
| 12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’19.472 | 1.092 | 26 |
| 13 | 89 | Pato O’Ward | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’19.680 | 1.300 | 30 |
| 14 | 72 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | W16 | 1’19.689 | 1.309 | 32 |
| 15 | 61 | Paul Aron | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’19.862 | 1.482 | 29 |
| 16 | 50 | Ryo Hirakawa | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’20.073 | 1.693 | 27 |
| 17 | 40 | Ayumu Iwasa | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’20.153 | 1.773 | 29 |
| 18 | 46 | Luke Browning | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’20.310 | 1.930 | 31 |
| 19 | 35 | Jak Crawford | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’20.371 | 1.991 | 29 |
| 20 | 38 | Antonio Fuoco | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’20.854 | 2.474 | 29 |
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2025 Mexican Grand Prix
- Red Bull’s interference with Norris’s start procedure “got out of hand” – Mekies
- Leclerc fastest from Antonelli as Lindblad leads nine rookies in first practice
- As it happened: 2025 Mexican Grand Prix first practice
- Verstappen to benefit from four-part Red Bull car upgrade at Mexican GP
- Tsunoda ready to help Verstappen by ‘making our competitors’ lives more difficult’
