Charles Leclerc topped first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing 0.659 seconds clear of Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes rookie who stands on the brink of his first Formula 1 world championship.
A ninth-place finish on Sunday will seal the title for Antonelli regardless of any other result. Only a win by teammate George Russell or Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton can theoretically stop him — and even then, Antonelli needs just ninth if Russell wins and tenth if Hamilton does.
Charles Leclerc (Credits: BBC Sport)
Rookie-heavy FP1 session
The session featured 10 rookie drivers, with most teams using Mexico City’s traditionally dirty, unrepresentative first session for their mandatory rookie outings. Only Ferrari ran both race drivers: Mercedes reserve Frederik Vesti was third in Russell’s car, ahead of Hamilton in fourth.
Japan’s Ayumu Iwasa impressed in fifth for Red Bull in place of Max Verstappen, ahead of Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad.
Title math for Antonelli
Antonelli’s dominant US GP win has left him in a commanding position. Russell’s car was driven by Vesti in FP1, but the championship picture is clear: the Italian teenager needs only ninth to become world champion on Sunday, a remarkable achievement in his rookie season.
Britain’s Freddie Slater made his grand prix weekend debut for Audi but reliability problems limited him to 14 laps and the 19th fastest time. Colton Herta, linked with a Cadillac race seat next year, was 22nd but is believed to have done enough miles to secure the 40 superlicence points he needs.
Also Read: How Much of Kimi Antonelli’s Success Is Ability? F1 Q&A After His Dominant US GP Win
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
