Norris beats Antonelli by 0.001s to lead Mexican GP FP3 as McLaren tops final practice

News Summary

• Lando Norris topped final practice for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix with a 1:17.600, beating Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 0.001s.
• Charles Leclerc finished third, 0.117s behind Norris, after Ferrari controlled the early stages on medium tyres. Oscar Piastri placed fourth, giving McLaren two cars in the top four.
• Max Verstappen finished fifth, Lewis Hamilton sixth and George Russell seventh, while Ryō Hirakawa placed 19th in his first session since replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas.

Lando Norris produced a last-minute lap of 1:17.600 to lead the third and final practice session for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday (31), beating Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 0.001s at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, 0.117s behind, while Oscar Piastri completed the top four as McLaren emerged as a serious contender for pole position.

The result brought an end to Ferrari’s dominance of the weekend’s practice sessions after Leclerc led both Friday outings. The Italian team had appeared particularly strong during the first half of FP3, but the introduction of Pirelli’s soft C5 compound changed the competitive order, allowing Antonelli and Norris to move ahead in the closing minutes.

Ferrari dominates early running as Leclerc and Hamilton trade fastest laps

The final practice session began in warm conditions, with ambient temperatures around 22°C and the track surface at 41°C.

Attention initially focused on Haas following the team’s unexpected decision to replace Esteban Ocon with Ryō Hirakawa.

The Japanese driver was the first to leave the pits when the session began, preparing for his first qualifying appearance after being promoted from reserve driver for the remainder of the weekend.

Meanwhile, several leading teams waited before sending their drivers onto the circuit.

Nico Hülkenberg initially led for Audi with a 1:20.572, improving as he completed additional laps.

Pierre Gasly then moved ahead for Alpine with a 1:19.304 before Antonelli established the first representative benchmark among the leading drivers.

Running on medium tyres, the Mercedes driver recorded 1:18.754, setting the fastest time in all three sectors.

Russell briefly challenged his teammate but remained approximately two tenths behind.

Piastri moved into third, while Norris struggled to complete a clean lap after running wide at Turn 8.

The Ferrari drivers also made mistakes during their early attempts, with Leclerc sliding at Turn 10 and Hamilton running wide at Turn 12.

Norris subsequently reported difficulties with the rear of his McLaren, indicating that grip remained inconsistent around the Mexican circuit.

However, as the session progressed, Ferrari began to establish a clear advantage on the medium compound.

Antonelli improved to 1:18.658, but Hamilton responded with a 1:18.268, using particularly strong second and third sectors to move ahead.

Leclerc then lowered the benchmark to 1:18.185 before Hamilton improved again.

The two Ferrari drivers exchanged fastest laps, with Leclerc eventually recording 1:18.152, just 0.010s ahead of his teammate.

At that stage, Ferrari held the top two positions with an advantage of approximately two tenths over Antonelli, suggesting that the SF-26 remained particularly competitive on the medium tyres.

Antonelli takes lead on soft tyres before Norris wins by 0.001s

The competitive picture changed when the teams began their qualifying simulations on Pirelli’s soft C5 compound.

Russell was among the first leading drivers to switch tyres, completing two preparation laps before attempting a flying lap.

The Mercedes driver produced the fastest opening sector but struggled for grip through the stadium section, particularly at Turn 12.

He recorded 1:18.107, improving on the medium-tyre benchmark but failing to establish a substantial advantage.

Russell also complained over the radio about the lack of rear grip at Turn 12.

Norris subsequently moved ahead with a 1:17.873, demonstrating the potential of McLaren’s qualifying setup.

However, Antonelli responded immediately.

The championship leader produced an exceptional lap of 1:17.601, moving 0.272s ahead of Norris and establishing what appeared to be the decisive benchmark.

Leclerc attempted to respond for Ferrari, but his first qualifying simulation was compromised by mistakes, forcing him to abandon the lap.

The Monegasque struggled to reproduce the consistency demonstrated on the medium compound as the final minutes approached.

Norris, meanwhile, returned for another attempt and delivered the fastest lap of the session.

The McLaren driver stopped the clock at 1:17.600, beating Antonelli by exactly one thousandth of a second.

The difference was so small that the two drivers would have been tied had their laps been recorded to hundredths rather than thousandths.

Leclerc eventually improved to 1:17.717, securing third position, but remained 0.117s behind Norris.

Piastri completed a strong recovery for McLaren, finishing fourth with a 1:17.795, 0.195s behind his teammate.

McLaren gains momentum as Ferrari faces tighter qualifying battle

McLaren’s performance represented a significant improvement compared with Friday’s practice sessions.

Norris had finished second in FP2, 0.103s behind Leclerc, while Piastri struggled to tenth.

In FP3, however, both McLaren drivers finished inside the top four, suggesting that the team had made progress with its qualifying preparation.

Norris also demonstrated an ability to recover after making mistakes during the early stages of the session.

The British driver had struggled with rear grip and ran wide during his initial attempts before finding the performance needed to challenge Antonelli.

Ferrari, by contrast, appeared particularly competitive on medium tyres but less comfortable when switching to the soft compound.

Leclerc’s first attempt on the C5 tyre was compromised by errors, while Hamilton was unable to maintain his position among the leading drivers.

The seven-time world champion finished sixth with a 1:18.069, 0.469s behind Norris.

Nevertheless, Hamilton’s participation represented an improvement after his preparations were interrupted on Friday.

The Ferrari driver suffered a power unit problem during FP2, forcing him to stop before completing his planned programme.

The contrasting performances also reinforced the uncertainty surrounding the battle for pole.

Friday’s analysis had identified Ferrari as a leading contender, with Norris and Russell close behind.

Saturday’s final practice demonstrated that McLaren and Mercedes had the performance to move ahead of the Italian team.

Verstappen fifth as Red Bull struggles to match leading pace

Max Verstappen finished fifth in FP3 with a 1:17.951, leaving him 0.351s behind Norris.

The Red Bull driver was unable to match the outright speed of McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari during the final qualifying simulations.

His teammate Isack Hadjar placed eighth, 0.509s behind the fastest time.

Verstappen’s preparations had already been complicated by his collision with Liam Lawson during Friday’s second practice session.

Both drivers received one-place grid penalties following the incident, meaning their qualifying results will be adjusted when Sunday’s starting grid is determined.

Lawson finished ninth in FP3 with a 1:18.113, just 0.004s behind Hadjar.

Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad completed the top ten, setting a 1:18.137.

Only 0.028s separated Hadjar, Lawson and Lindblad, highlighting the close battle among the Red Bull-affiliated drivers.

Russell finished seventh for Mercedes with a 1:18.107, 0.507s behind Norris.

The British driver struggled to match Antonelli’s performance, particularly in the slower sections of the circuit.

Hirakawa finishes 19th in first session after replacing Ocon

Hirakawa’s appearance was one of the most closely watched developments of the session.

The Japanese driver was promoted to Haas’s race line-up after the team unexpectedly withdrew Ocon from the remainder of the Mexican Grand Prix.

The FIA authorised the substitution on Saturday morning, allowing Hirakawa to take part in FP3, qualifying and Sunday’s race, subject to the relevant requirements.

The 32-year-old was the first driver to leave the pits when FP3 began, attempting to maximise his limited preparation time.

With approximately 20 minutes remaining, Hirakawa was running 14th and showing encouraging speed through the slower corners.

However, as the leading teams improved on soft tyres, he slipped down the classification.

Hirakawa eventually finished 19th with a 1:19.504, 1.904s behind Norris.

Teammate Oliver Bearman placed 15th with a 1:18.927, leaving the Japanese driver 0.577s behind.

The session provided Hirakawa with additional experience of the VF-26 before his first Formula 1 qualifying appearance.

His promotion also comes with an unusual historical distinction: he is set to become the oldest F1 debutant since André Lotterer in 2014, provided he starts Sunday’s race.

Audi suffers another power unit problem as Bortoleto records no time

Audi endured another difficult session, with Gabriel Bortoleto unable to register a timed lap after suffering a power unit problem.

The Brazilian had already experienced a disrupted Friday.

He missed FP1 because the team assigned his car to rookie Freddie Slater, while a mechanical issue severely restricted his running in FP2.

Audi had hoped to recover some of that lost preparation time during Saturday’s final practice session.

However, Bortoleto reported an abnormal sound from the power unit shortly after leaving the pits.

The car returned to the garage with visible smoke, and Audi subsequently confirmed that the driver would take no further part in FP3.

The problem left Bortoleto without a representative lap time for the session.

Teammate Hülkenberg finished 11th with a 1:18.560, 0.960s behind Norris.

The German was unable to break into the top ten despite completing a more substantial programme than Bortoleto.

Sergio Pérez also failed to record a timed lap for Cadillac.

His teammate Valtteri Bottas finished 20th with a 1:20.342, 2.742s behind the fastest time.

Mexican GP 2026 — Full FP3 results

What time is Mexican GP qualifying?

Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix takes place on Saturday, October 31, at 15:00 local time, corresponding to 21:00 GMT in the United Kingdom and 17:00 EDT in the eastern United States.

The session will determine the provisional starting grid before the FIA applies outstanding penalties, including those imposed on Verstappen, Lawson and Bottas.

The 71-lap Mexican Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, November 1, at 14:00 local time.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.