Norris lights up Mexico FP3 as McLaren finds its groove, Hamilton leads Mercedes charge
Lando Norris put McLaren back on top of the pile in final practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, clocking a 1:16.633 to clear Lewis Hamilton by a chunky 0.345s as the field finally turned the wick up late on at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
After a sleepy opening half-hour — drivers creeping through install laps to dodge traffic and coax heat into the tyres — the session detonated in the final 15 minutes. Out came the softs, and with them a flurry of purple sectors that kept the timing screens twitching until the flag. When the dust settled, Norris had the cleanest lap of the lot, and McLaren had a spring in its step again with Oscar Piastri also inside the top five.
Mercedes looked sharp, too. Hamilton’s runner-up time led a Silver Arrows two-three with George Russell just behind, while rookie Kimi Antonelli continued to look right at home in seventh. Ferrari kept its powder relatively dry: Charles Leclerc slotted into fourth, Carlos Sainz couldn’t quite unlock the same zip and ended up 15th.
Red Bull had a quieter hour. Max Verstappen’s best was only good enough for sixth, with Yuki Tsunoda ninth as Isack Hadjar impressively split the works cars in eighth for Racing Bulls. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto delivered another neat, no-fuss performance to round out the top 10.
There were headaches elsewhere. Williams reported power unit gremlins for Alex Albon that limited his rhythm, while Aston Martin spent most of the session pulling apart Fernando Alonso’s front-right corner. The two-time champion was stuck in the garage for long stretches and wound up 20th; Lance Stroll was 13th.
The pattern of the hour told its own story: with this field converging, outright pace won’t be found meandering around in traffic. Track position and execution will be everything in qualifying — and if FP3 was any clue, Norris and McLaren have arrived in Mexico with a car that’s awake and willing.
Mexico City GP – FP3 classification
1. Lando Norris, McLaren – 1:16.633
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 1:16.978
3. George Russell, Mercedes – 1:17.145
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 1:17.199
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren – 1:17.232
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 1:17.242
7. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes – 1:17.253
8. Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls – 1:17.396
9. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull – 1:17.415
10. Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber – 1:17.526
11. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls – 1:17.552
12. Esteban Ocon, Haas – 1:17.574
13. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 1:17.598
14. Nico Hülkenberg, Sauber – 1:17.664
15. Carlos Sainz, Williams – 1:17.801
16. Alex Albon, Williams – 1:17.994
17. Oliver Bearman, Haas – 1:18.046
18. Pierre Gasly, Alpine – 1:18.412
19. Franco Colapinto, Alpine – 1:18.581
20. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 1:18.611
Qualifying’s up next. If the final practice sprint was anything to go by, expect slipstream games, frayed tempers, and a very crowded final sector — with a McLaren at the pointy end and Mercedes lurking, ready to pounce.
