Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the opening practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari one-two ahead of championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Leclerc set a best time of 1:18.128 on soft tyres to finish 0.659s clear of Antonelli, with Vesti a further 0.074s behind in third. The Mercedes reserve was deputising for George Russell as teams fulfilled Formula 1's requirement to give young drivers track time during the season. Under the regulations, each team must provide two Free Practice 1 sessions per car to drivers who have competed in no more than two Grands Prix. With several teams using the opportunity in Mexico City, the opening session featured a significantly different line-up from the one that will contest the remainder of the weekend.

Among those taking part were Ayumu Iwasa, who replaced Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, Gabriele Minì at Alpine, Nikola Tsolov at Racing Bulls, Leonardo Fornaroli at McLaren, Ryō Hirakawa at Haas, Freddie Slater at Audi, Luke Browning at Williams, Jak Crawford at Aston Martin and Colton Herta at Cadillac.

At the start of the session Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was among the first drivers to take to the circuit, beginning an aerodynamic evaluation programme with flow-measuring equipment fitted to his Ferrari. Sergio Pérez, making his 300th Grand Prix weekend appearance at his home event, was also among the early runners.

Initial lap times were some way off the eventual pace as drivers familiarised themselves with the conditions and the relatively low grip levels at the high-altitude circuit. Iwasa briefly moved to the top of the order before Antonelli established himself at the head of the timesheets with a 1:20.814.

The Mercedes driver continued to improve, lowering the benchmark to 1:20.155, while Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly also featured near the front. Leclerc then produced a significant improvement, setting a 1:19.197 to move almost a second clear of Antonelli. Hamilton was also making progress with his aerodynamic programme, while several drivers struggled for grip through the technical middle sector.

There was an early interruption for Isack Hadjar, who reported a loss of power and an engine-braking issue over team radio. The Red Bull driver managed to return to the pits, where the team began investigating the problem. He would later report further difficulties with his steering.

As the session entered its second half, teams began switching to the soft compound in preparation for qualifying simulations. Lindblad was among the first to make the change, moving into the top four despite a significant lock-up into Turn 1.

Leclerc subsequently delivered the fastest lap of the session, recording a 1:18.128 to establish a substantial advantage. Antonelli responded to secure second place, while Vesti impressed on his first appearance of the weekend by finishing third, just ahead of Hamilton in the second Ferrari.

Iwasa completed the top five for Red Bull Racing, finishing 0.985s off the pace, with Gasly sixth for Alpine. Fernando Alonso was seventh for Aston Martin, ahead of Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman and Lindblad, who completed the top ten.

The session was interrupted by a Virtual Safety Car after Crawford stopped his Aston Martin at Turn 1. The American, who had completed 15 laps, was unable to continue, with the team subsequently identifying a suspected energy recovery system issue.

Audi also encountered difficulties with Slater's car. The team initially brought the rookie back into the garage after discovering that a cooling component had been left inside the sidepod, restricting airflow. Following checks, Slater was able to return to the circuit and complete further running but the team was set to be investigated after the sessions for an unsafe release. 

There was a further moment of concern for Haas at the end of the session when Bearman returned to the pits with smoke coming from his car, apparently as a result of overheating brakes.

With Leclerc comfortably fastest, Mercedes emerged as Ferrari's closest challenger, while Iwasa's fifth place provided Red Bull with useful early information. However, with so many regular race drivers absent and several teams focusing on evaluation programmes, the opening hour offered only an initial indication of the competitive picture ahead of the weekend's remaining practice sessions.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 
1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:18.128 29 198.320
2 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:18.787 0.659 30 196.661
3 Frederik Vesti Mercedes 1:18.861 0.733 24 196.477
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:18.866 0.738 25 196.464
5 Ayumu Iwasa Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:19.113 0.985 23 195.851
6 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:19.210 1.082 33 195.611
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:19.357 1.229 29 195.249
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:19.376 1.248 30 195.202
9 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:19.412 1.284 28 195.114
10 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:19.478 1.350 30 194.952
11 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:19.545 1.417 21 194.787
12 Nikola Tsolov Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:19.604 1.476 29 194.643
13 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:19.608 1.480 27 194.633
14 Gabriele Minì Alpine/Mercedes 1:19.946 1.818 22 193.810
15 Ryō Hirakawa Haas/Ferrari 1:19.982 1.854 30 193.723
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:20.006 1.878 31 193.665
17 Leonardo Fornaroli McLaren/Mercedes 1:20.235 2.107 25 193.112
18 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:20.395 2.267 31 192.728
19 Jak Crawford Aston Martin/Honda 1:20.803 2.675 15 191.755
20 Luke Browning Williams/Mercedes 1:20.869 2.741 33 191.598
21 Freddie Slater Audi 1:20.945 2.817 14 191.418
22 Colton Herta Cadillac/Ferrari 1:21.365 3.237 30 190.430