2026 Mexico City GP FP1: Leclerc fastest as Herta secures superlicence

Charles Leclerc topped a dusty opening practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, setting a 1:18.128 to finish 0.659s clear of Kimi Antonelli. The hour was as much about the grid's newest faces as the timesheet, with Mercedes stand-in Fred Vesti third and Colton Herta finally clearing his superlicence hurdle for Cadillac.

Why it matters:

Mexico City's altitude makes FP1 an outlier — thin air cuts downforce and pushes cooling to the limit — so teams treat the first hour as a data-gathering exercise rather than a form guide. Even so, Leclerc's benchmark was quicker than the 2025 FP1 session he also led, a useful signal for Ferrari as the season enters its closing run.

The details:

• Leclerc's 1:18.128 came on a dusty, low-grip surface, leaving 0.659s between him and Antonelli's Mercedes.
• Vesti, deputising for George Russell, was the best-placed of the FP1 substitutes in third.
• Freddie Slater's Audi session was disrupted by an engine issue, and he was sent back out with a cooling fan still mounted in the sidepod.
• Herta logged 30 laps for Cadillac, comfortably beyond the 24 required to secure his F1 superlicence.

What's next:

Grip will improve sharply through FP2 and FP3, which usually reshuffles the order behind the front. The bigger question is whether Ferrari's early margin survives once the track rubbers in and Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren turn up their power units.