Lando Norris leads final practice for Mexican Grand Prix

Battle at the front

Lando Norris beat Kimi Antonelli by 0.001s to lead the final practice session for the Mexican Grand Prix. The McLaren driver set a 1m17.600s, just faster than the Mercedes driver who sits at the top of the championship standings. I find this margin incredibly thin for a session held at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Charles Leclerc finished third, 0.117s behind the leaders, while Oscar Piastri took fourth in the other McLaren, finishing 0.195s behind Norris. Max Verstappen ended in fifth, 0.351s slower than Norris, after struggling with braking issues. Antonelli, who can become the youngest-ever world champion if he finishes inside the top nine on Sunday, went fastest with a 1m17.601s after completing two warm-up laps, but Norris improved his time with two minutes remaining in the hour-long session. This session marks the weekend where the Mercedes driver can clinch his first F1 world title. Mercedes was among the first frontrunners to switch to soft tyres, while George Russell pondered whether a double-prep lap was necessary. Earlier, the top teams all chose to start the session on medium tyres, which allowed Leclerc and Hamilton to trade fastest times during the opening stages. Norris’s time was only 0.2s quicker than the best time set yesterday.

Ferrari struggles and Mercedes pace

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton traded fastest times early in the session while using medium tyres, but both struggled when the track switched to softs. Leclerc had to abort an attempt at a qualifying simulation after losing control in the Esses, and Hamilton ended up in sixth, 0.469s behind Norris, after a big slide coming out of the final corner. George Russell finished seventh, 0.507s behind Norris, because he felt a lack of grip through the tricky Turn 12 right-hander entering the Foro Sol stadium. I think the Ferrari pace on soft tyres looks worrying for qualifying. Racing Bulls showed strength as Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad both placed in the top ten, finishing ninth and tenth respectively. Lawson finished 0.513s behind the leaders, while Lindblad was 0.537s back. The Red Bull drivers were not as impressive, as Isack Hadjar finished eighth, only 0.002s behind Russell. Both Racing Bulls drivers were well clear of their midfield rivals, including Nico Hulkenberg in 11th for Audi and Franco Colapinto in 12th for Alpine. The two Mercedes drivers were separated by over half a second. Pierre Gasly finished 13th, while Fernando Alonso ended in 14th.

Midfield chaos and engine failures

The session was messy for those at the back. Max Verstappen complained of brake issues and went off at turn four, while Isack Hadjar, who finished eighth, called the Red Bull "the worst car I’ve driven this weekend, it’s terrible". I see no reason to believe Red Bull will find pace if the car remains this difficult. At Haas, Ryo Hirakawa replaced Esteban Ocon for the weekend after the team benched the Frenchman following a dispute with his race engineer in FP2. Hirakawa finished 19th, 1.904s behind teammate Ollie Bearman, after using three sets of softs. Sergio Perez and Gabriel Bortoleto both failed to set a time. Perez completed only one installation lap before returning to the Cadillac garage because the team required a "precautionary engine change" ahead of qualifying. Bortleto also lacked a time after experiencing power unit issues on his out-lap. Nico Hulkenberg set the joint-highest number of laps in the session with 32, finishing 0.960s behind the leaders. Franco Colapinto finished 12th, 1.052s behind the leaders, ahead of Pierre Gasly in 13th and Fernando Alonso in 14th. Valtteri Bottas finished 20th, 2.742s off the pace, behind Hirakawa. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon finished 16th and 17th respectively.