Leclerc heads rookie-heavy FP1 in Mexico City as Antonelli shadows; Sauber shines
Charles Leclerc set the early tone at the Mexico City Grand Prix, topping a rookie-stacked FP1 with a 1:18.380 around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was closest to the Ferrari, just 0.107s shy, while a quietly efficient Sauber locked in P3 and P5 via Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.
With four rookie outings mandated per team in 2025, nine of the 10 squads handed a seat to a newcomer for the opening hour. Sauber was the sole exception, and it showed: Hülkenberg’s crisp laps put him third, and Bortoleto slotted into fifth, bookending Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in P4.
Red Bull split the difference. Max Verstappen sat out as junior Arvid Lindblad hopped in and promptly went sixth, while Yuki Tsunoda anchored the session on the other car in P8. Esteban Ocon kept Haas in the mix in seventh, and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto made the top ten in ninth. Alex Albon rounded out that group for Williams.
It was otherwise a tidy session, one brief local yellow aside when Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) had a moment with 19 minutes left. He gathered it up and carried on, then later clocked the 10th-fastest time.
The roll call of rookies was long and eclectic: Pato O’Ward (McLaren) took Lando Norris’s seat; Mercedes ran Frederik Vesti in for George Russell; Ferrari gave Antonio Fuoco a run in Lewis Hamilton’s car; Red Bull promoted Lindblad for Verstappen; Williams fielded Luke Browning in Carlos Sainz Jr.’s machine; Aston Martin put Jak Crawford in for Lance Stroll; Haas turned to Ryo Hirakawa in place of Ollie Bearman; Racing Bulls slotted Ayumu Iwasa into Liam Lawson’s cockpit; and Alpine ran Paul Aron for Pierre Gasly.
There’s not much to read into one practice hour with such a mixed field, but two things stood out. First, Antonelli’s calm, no-drama speed — the Mercedes rookie-turned-race-leader has a way of finding the front on Fridays. Second, Sauber’s balance looked on point from the off. That matters here, even on FP1 greens.
Full times: FP1 – 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix
– 1. Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.380
– 2. Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18.487
– 3. Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber | 1:18.760
– 4. Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:18.784
– 5. Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:18.916
– 6. Arvid Lindblad | Red Bull Racing | 1:18.997
– 7. Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:19.032
– 8. Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | 1:19.090
– 9. Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:19.331
– 10. Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:19.409
– 11. Alex Albon | Williams | 1:19.472
– 12. Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:19.472
– 13. Pato O’Ward | McLaren | 1:19.680
– 14. Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | 1:19.689
– 15. Paul Aron | Alpine | 1:19.862
– 16. Ryo Hirakawa | Haas | 1:20.073
– 17. Ayumu Iwasa | Racing Bulls | 1:20.153
– 18. Jak Crawford | Aston Martin | 1:20.371
– 19. Luke Browning | Williams | 1:20.410
– 20. Antonio Fuoco | Ferrari | 1:20.854
Who sat out for rookies in FP1
– McLaren: Pato O’Ward in for Lando Norris
– Mercedes: Frederik Vesti in for George Russell
– Ferrari: Antonio Fuoco in for Lewis Hamilton
– Red Bull: Arvid Lindblad in for Max Verstappen
– Williams: Luke Browning in for Carlos Sainz Jr.
– Aston Martin: Jak Crawford in for Lance Stroll
– Haas: Ryo Hirakawa in for Ollie Bearman
– Racing Bulls: Ayumu Iwasa in for Liam Lawson
– Alpine: Paul Aron in for Pierre Gasly
– Sauber: no rookie used
A caveat: with so many “one-off” installs and alternating run plans, the order will shuffle once the full-time drivers regroup for FP2. But Leclerc’s early zip, Antonelli’s near-miss, and Sauber’s tidy baseline give us a decent first sketch of the weekend.
