By: The third and final practice session of the Mexico City Grand Prix is now complete, with the focus turning to preparations for qualifying. It was a final opportunity for teams and drivers to gather information on their cars' behaviour and find the right set-up before the fight for pole position. Here is how the session unfolded.
Green light
At the start of the session, Ryo Hirakawa was the first to take to the track on soft tyres. The Japanese driver, at the wheel of the Haas in place of Esteban Ocon for this event, set an initial benchmark of 1:22.487. The midfield teams wasted no time: Alpine sent both cars out on medium tyres, temporarily taking second and third, while Nico Hülkenberg also began gathering data at the wheel of the Audi. The leading teams, by contrast, opted to wait before beginning their runs.
Among the first to encounter difficulties was Fernando Alonso. His Aston Martin was reported off track, with the Spaniard reporting a loss of power on the exit of Turn 1 over the radio, along with issues during downshifts that did not appear to be working correctly.
The first of the front-runners to make a move was Kimi Antonelli, who went top on medium tyres with a 1:18.754. George Russell slotted in behind him before Ferrari also moved into the more intensive phase of their programme. Both drivers made an error on their first attempt, but on the following lap Charles Leclerc found the rhythm to go fastest with a 1:18.720. Antonelli's response was swift: the Mercedes driver beat the Monegasque's benchmark by 60 thousandths, confirming the gradual improvement in track conditions.
Lewis Hamilton also finally managed to complete a competitive lap, stopping the clock at 1:18.268 to move provisionally into first place. His benchmark was then beaten by Leclerc, who continued to improve. In the next phase, Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen went again, running third, eighth and sixth respectively. Leclerc lowered his time further, edging Hamilton by just 10 thousandths, while Lando Norris moved into fourth.
Qualifying simulation
With 16 minutes remaining until the chequered flag, qualifying simulations began in earnest as drivers started to fit soft tyres. George Russell was the first to make a push, going top with a 1:18.107. Lando Norris responded immediately: the McLaren driver lowered the benchmark to 1:17.837, with Oscar Piastri slotting in behind him. Kimi Antonelli's attempt followed shortly afterwards, as he produced an excellent 1:17.601 to take first place. Leclerc, however, was unable to complete his lap after making an error in the Snake.
Norris returned to the track for another attempt, but initially could not beat Antonelli's benchmark, finishing 166 thousandths behind the leader. Hamilton also completed his simulation, setting the sixth-fastest time. Leclerc finally found a clean lap to move into third, but the battle at the front was not over: Norris improved again on his next attempt to set the fastest time of the session.
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All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Mexican GP 2026
