Norris Edges Antonelli by 0.001s in Mexico FP3 as Qualifying Battle Takes Shape

Lando Norris put McLaren on top in final practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, edging Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli by just 0.001s. Charles Leclerc, fastest in both Friday sessions, slipped to third as McLaren and Mercedes found another tenth. Oscar Piastri was fourth, while Max Verstappen ended the session 0.351s off the pace and outside the immediate pole fight.

Why it matters:

The margin is tiny, but the order suggests a genuine three-team scrap for pole. For Antonelli, the bigger prize is the drivers’ title: a top-nine finish on Sunday would seal the championship, regardless of his qualifying result.

The details:

• Norris’s late lap denied Antonelli the top spot by the smallest possible margin.
• Leclerc and Ferrari could not back up their Friday advantage when it mattered in FP3.
• Verstappen cannot start on pole after a one-place grid penalty for his collision with Liam Lawson in second practice; Lawson also drops a place.
• Haas replaced Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the rest of the weekend. The team gave no reason and said Ocon was not ill. Hirakawa, a Le Mans winner, was 19th, six tenths behind Oliver Bearman.
• Ocon is already set to leave Haas at season’s end, with Rafael Camara signed as his replacement.

What's next:

Qualifying will show whether McLaren’s single-lap edge is real or merely a practice artifact. With Antonelli chasing a title and Verstappen fighting from a penalty, the session could set up a tense Sunday in Mexico City.