Mexican Grand Prix 2026: Norris Edges Antonelli by 0.001s as Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes Battle for Qualifying Supremacy

Formula One Magazine | 31 October 2026

By Open Chronicle Sports

The battle for supremacy at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix intensified on Saturday as Lando Norris produced a dramatic final lap to lead the third free practice session by just one thousandth of a second, ending Charles Leclerc’s dominance of the opening two sessions.

After Ferrari controlled Friday’s running at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, McLaren and Mercedes emerged as serious contenders in the final preparations for qualifying. Norris recorded a 1:17.600, narrowly defeating championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who finished with a 1:17.601.

Leclerc completed the top three, only 0.117 seconds behind Norris, while Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen rounded out the top five.

The results revealed an exceptionally competitive battle among Formula One’s leading teams, with three different manufacturers occupying the first three positions and less than two tenths separating the fastest three drivers.

Elsewhere, Audi endured a deeply frustrating weekend as Gabriel Bortoleto suffered repeated technical problems, completing just twelve laps across the final two practice sessions after sitting out FP1.

Friday: Leclerc Establishes Ferrari as the Team to Beat

Charles Leclerc began the Mexican Grand Prix weekend in commanding fashion, topping the opening practice session with a 1:18.128.

The Ferrari driver finished 0.659 seconds ahead of Antonelli, establishing an early advantage around a circuit where altitude, aerodynamic efficiency and cooling performance create unusual engineering challenges.

Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti delivered an impressive performance to finish third, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull reserve Ayumu Iwasa.

The opening session was particularly unusual because ten rookie or reserve drivers participated, replacing regular competitors as teams fulfilled their practice obligations.

Among them were Freddie Slater at Audi, Leonardo Fornaroli at McLaren, Colton Herta at Cadillac and Ryō Hirakawa at Haas.

The extensive number of substitutions complicated direct comparisons between teams, but Ferrari’s performance nevertheless provided an encouraging indication of its potential.

Leclerc maintained his advantage despite changing track conditions and the interruptions associated with the inexperienced drivers.

Leclerc Completes Friday Sweep in FP2

The second practice session provided a more representative picture of the competitive order as the regular drivers returned to their cars.

Leclerc again established the benchmark, improving to a 1:17.827 and completing a clean sweep of Friday’s practice sessions.

However, the advantage Ferrari had enjoyed earlier in the day narrowed considerably.

Norris finished second with a 1:17.930, just 0.103 seconds behind Leclerc, while George Russell was only another 0.003 seconds further back.

Antonelli secured fourth, followed by Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad.

The session also highlighted the unpredictable nature of the weekend.

Hamilton suffered a mechanical problem that forced him to stop his Ferrari, limiting him to thirteen laps and leaving him eleventh in the classification.

A separate incident between Verstappen and Liam Lawson at Turn 14 scattered debris across the circuit and brought out a red flag. The contact was referred to the stewards for investigation.

Despite those interruptions, Ferrari completed Friday with the fastest car on the timing screens, although McLaren and Mercedes had significantly reduced the gap.

Saturday: Norris Delivers a Last-Minute Statement

The final practice session transformed the competitive picture.

Leclerc initially appeared capable of extending his dominance into Saturday, repeatedly returning to the top of the timing screens as Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren exchanged fastest laps.

Antonelli also demonstrated strong pace, while Russell briefly led during the final qualifying simulations.

Norris struggled to complete an ideal lap during the opening part of the session, but his McLaren became increasingly competitive as the track evolved.

With less than two minutes remaining, the British driver delivered the decisive lap.

His 1:17.600 displaced Antonelli by the smallest measurable margin on Formula One’s official timing system: 0.001 seconds.

Leclerc attempted to respond, producing the fastest opening sector on his final run, but could not improve sufficiently to reclaim the lead.

The Monegasque finished third with a 1:17.717.

Piastri strengthened McLaren’s position by securing fourth, while Verstappen completed the top five.

The result left Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren closely matched heading into qualifying, with Red Bull still within reach.

Mercedes Shows Its Strength as Antonelli Targets Another Major Result

Mercedes enjoyed a particularly encouraging final practice session.

Antonelli’s second place confirmed his ability to challenge for the fastest lap, while Russell demonstrated competitive pace despite eventually finishing seventh.

The Italian entered the Mexican weekend as the championship leader, holding 365 points according to the standings published alongside the practice reports.

Russell occupied second place in the championship with 242 points, underlining Mercedes’ strong position in the drivers’ standings.

The team’s performance in Mexico suggested that Antonelli could be among the principal contenders for pole position.

However, the extremely narrow gap to Norris also demonstrated how little separated the leading cars.

Ferrari Faces a More Competitive Challenge Than Friday Suggested

Ferrari’s Friday performance initially suggested that Leclerc might enjoy a decisive advantage around the Mexican circuit.

However, Saturday’s session showed that the competition had intensified.

Leclerc remained competitive, finishing third, while Hamilton secured sixth place with a 1:18.069.

Although Ferrari no longer occupied the top position, the Scuderia retained a realistic opportunity to challenge for pole position.

The key question was whether Leclerc could recover the small amount of performance required to defeat Norris and Antonelli over a single qualifying lap.

Ferrari’s consistency across the three practice sessions remained one of its strongest advantages.

Red Bull Searches for the Final Tenths

Max Verstappen finished fifth in FP3, recording a 1:17.951.

The Dutchman had experienced a less convincing Friday than his main rivals, finishing fifth in FP2 after struggling to extract the maximum performance from his car.

Red Bull’s challenge was further complicated by the incident involving Verstappen and Lawson during the second session.

Nevertheless, Verstappen remained close enough to the leaders to suggest that further setup improvements could influence his qualifying prospects.

Hadjar finished eighth in FP3, giving Red Bull two cars inside the top ten.

Bortoleto’s Weekend Derailed by Audi Reliability Problems

One of the most concerning developments involved Gabriel Bortoleto.

The Brazilian missed FP1 because his Audi was driven by Freddie Slater, whose session was itself disrupted by technical difficulties.

During FP2, Bortoleto spent almost 47 minutes in the garage while mechanics attempted to resolve problems with his car.

He eventually completed just ten laps and finished twenty-second, with a best time of 1:20.174.

The situation deteriorated further on Saturday.

Audi continued investigating problems around the rear of the car, preventing Bortoleto from completing a normal practice programme.

The Brazilian managed only two laps in FP3 and failed to establish a competitive time.

With virtually no meaningful preparation for qualifying, Bortoleto faced a particularly difficult challenge.

His teammate Nico Hülkenberg finished eleventh in FP3, demonstrating that Audi possessed greater potential than Bortoleto’s disrupted weekend suggested.

The team now faces the task of restoring the Brazilian’s car to reliable operating condition before qualifying.

Haas Makes Unexpected Driver Change

Another significant development emerged before Saturday’s final practice session.

Haas announced that reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa would replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.

The Japanese driver had already participated in FP1 and returned to the cockpit for FP3, finishing nineteenth.

According to the report, Haas did not provide a detailed explanation for the substitution.

The change left Hirakawa preparing for his first Formula One qualifying appearance under unusual circumstances.

Mexico’s Altitude Adds Another Technical Challenge

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents one of the most distinctive engineering challenges on the Formula One calendar.

Located approximately 2,285 metres above sea level, the circuit operates in considerably thinner air than most other Grand Prix venues.

That reduced air density affects several critical areas of car performance.

Aerodynamic surfaces generate less downforce than they would at sea level, while cooling systems must operate under more demanding conditions.

Power unit management and brake temperatures also require particular attention.

For 2026, the circuit underwent extensive resurfacing work, introducing another variable into tyre performance and grip levels.

Pirelli selected the C3, C4 and C5 compounds for the weekend, providing teams with three relatively soft tyre options.

The combination of high altitude, changing grip and narrow performance margins helps explain why the competitive order evolved throughout the practice sessions.

Mexican Grand Prix: Practice Session Leaders

Free Practice 3: Top Ten Results

Qualifying Promises a Three-Way Battle

With the three practice sessions completed, the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix has developed into one of the most intriguing qualifying contests of the season.

Ferrari demonstrated strong initial performance, McLaren responded with improved pace on Saturday, and Mercedes remained consistently competitive through Antonelli.

Red Bull cannot be discounted, particularly with Verstappen capable of extracting performance when conditions become unpredictable.

Yet the most significant number of the weekend remains the 0.001 second separating Norris and Antonelli.

That margin illustrates how finely balanced the leading teams have become.

For Leclerc, the challenge is to recover the advantage that made Ferrari the dominant force on Friday.

For Norris, the objective is to convert his late FP3 performance into a qualifying result.

For Antonelli, another strong performance would reinforce his position at the head of the championship.

And for the thousands of spectators filling the grandstands of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the stage is set for a compelling battle for pole position.

Editorial note: This report covers the three free practice sessions held on 30 and 31 October 2026. Qualifying results are not included. The analysis is based on the published practice classifications and session reports.