Charles Leclerc dominated the Mexico Grand Prix Friday sessions, securing the fastest time in both Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The Ferrari ace set a blistering 1m17.827s in FP2, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris by a slim 0.103 seconds, despite a challenging day for Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, who retired early in the session due to power loss.

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Leclerc’s supremacy was evident from the outset, as he improved on his FP1 benchmark of 1m18.128s to establish a commanding pace in FP2. Norris, fresh off handing his car to rookie driver Leonardo Fornaroli in FP1, pushed hard and briefly held the top spot with a 1m18.161s on soft tyres before Leclerc reclaimed pole position pace. The session featured all three tyre compounds in use, with early runs on mediums setting the initial tempo. Hamilton initially led on mediums with a 1m18.741s, half a second quicker than teammate Oscar Piastri on hards, but his day was cut short after power issues forced him to stop at Turn 3, triggering a brief virtual safety car period.

Track evolution played a significant role in lap time improvements on the low-grip Mexican circuit. Max Verstappen’s early efforts on softs placed him sixth fastest with a 1m19.312s before a collision with Liam Lawson caused a 15-minute red flag. The incident scattered debris across the track and briefly halted proceedings. Once the session resumed, Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli impressed by splitting the Ferrari duo with a 1m18.559s on medium tyres.

Leclerc’s attempts to extend his advantage on softs were momentarily thwarted by errors through the stadium sector, including two aborted laps due to going wide and a lock-up at Turn 1. However, he ultimately found his rhythm, lowering the benchmark twice in succession during the final 20 minutes. High-fuel runs began late in the session, much to the chagrin of Esteban Ocon, who expressed frustration to his race engineer about the tyre switch strategy. Despite these tactical shifts, Leclerc maintained his grip on the top spot.

The final top ten was rounded out by George Russell just behind Norris by three-thousandths of a second, Antonelli, Verstappen, Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, and Piastri. This tightly packed leaderboard underscored the competitive intensity heading into qualifying and the race.

Leclerc’s flawless performance on Friday sets a formidable tone for Ferrari as they aim to capitalize on strong pace in Mexico, while McLaren and Mercedes remain close pursuers in a session marked by strategic tyre choices, on-track incidents, and emerging rookie talents.