F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc outpaces Kimi Antonelli to claim the fastest time in FP1.

It begins at least 90 minutes prior to qualifying and the races on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and the track frequently undergoes significant changes throughout the weekend due to minimal usage year-round.

This progression was evident early in practice when Leclerc initially set the pace with a time of 1m21.965s, which quickly improved as hard-tyre runner Antonelli went 1.151s faster shortly thereafter.

The 20-year-old then gained an additional seven tenths on his next attempt, posting a 1m20.155s, before Leclerc raised the bar again with a 1m19.197s, 0.303s faster than Antonelli’s subsequent lap.

Both drivers clearly dominated the early stages despite power-unit troubles for Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, before Lewis Hamilton joined the fray with a 1m19.869s to secure third place after 25 minutes.

Leclerc then reclaimed the top spot, improving by 0.060s with a new best of 1m19.137s, just as the softer tyre runs began in the second half of the hour-long session.

Leclerc then moved 1.009s ahead of his teammate's hard-tyre benchmark with a 1m18.128s, shortly before Antonelli posted a time of 1m18.787s, which was 0.659s slower.

Drivers outside the top three faced challenges in the low-grip conditions: technical issues hampered Audi's substitute Freddie Slater, while McLaren teammates Leonardo Fornaroli and Oscar Piastri both went off track in sector one.

Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren

Piastri, at the site where he lost the championship lead last season, struggled to find a rhythm in his MCL40, finishing 1.248s off the pace on his soft-tyre run with 15 minutes left on the clock.

In contrast, Vesti made his move, taking third with a time of 1m18.861s, just 0.080s behind Antonelli.

It was around this period that Jak Crawford triggered a brief virtual safety car after stopping at Turn 1 in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, prompting drivers to revert to harder compounds for the final 10 minutes.

Leclerc's time of 1m18.128s remained unbeaten, finishing 0.659s faster than Antonelli and 0.733s ahead of Vesti, while Hamilton secured fourth, finishing 0.738s off the lead.

Max Verstappen’s Red Bull replacement Ayumu Iwasa took fifth place, the reigning Super Formula champion clocking a 1m19.113s on medium tyres, ahead of Pierre Gasly in sixth on softs.

Gasly recorded a 1m19.210s, while Fernando Alonso (+1.229s), Piastri (+1.248s), Oliver Bearman (+1.284s) and Arvid Lindblad (+1.350s) rounded out the top 10.