{"id":4655,"date":"2026-10-31T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=4655"},"modified":"2026-10-31T10:42:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T13:42:32","slug":"ferrari-leads-bortoleto-suffers-five-things-we-learned-from-mexico-f1-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/ferrari-leads-bortoleto-suffers-five-things-we-learned-from-mexico-f1-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Ferrari leads, Bortoleto suffers: Five things we learned from Mexico F1 practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Charles Leclerc led both Mexican Grand Prix practice sessions for Ferrari<\/strong>, setting a 1:17.827 in FP2 and finishing ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson received one-place grid penalties after colliding in FP2<\/strong>, while McLaren and Mercedes showed enough pace to challenge Ferrari.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gabriel Bortoleto lost almost all of Friday&#8217;s running because of Audi&#8217;s technical problems<\/strong>, leaving him last in FP2 and with limited preparation for qualifying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ferrari emerged from Friday&#8217;s (October 30) Formula 1 practice sessions at the Mexican Grand Prix as a contender for pole position and victory, with Charles Leclerc topping both FP1 and FP2 at Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez.<\/strong> The Monegasque driver produced the fastest lap of the day with a 1:17.827, but McLaren and Mercedes remained close enough to suggest that the fight at the front is far from settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Friday also brought a collision between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, resulting in grid penalties for both drivers, while Gabriel Bortoleto endured a particularly difficult day at Audi. With ten regular drivers absent from FP1 because of rookie substitutions, the second session provided the first meaningful opportunity to compare the complete field. Here are five things we learned before Saturday&#8217;s qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Ten rookie substitutions made FP1 an unreliable guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mexico City has become a popular venue for Formula 1 teams to fulfil their mandatory rookie-practice requirements, and Friday&#8217;s opening session featured ten substitute drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ferrari was the only team to retain both regular drivers, giving Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton an advantage in gathering data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other ten teams each fielded one substitute, leaving several established drivers without the opportunity to complete their usual Friday programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Verstappen gave up his Red Bull to Ayumu Iwasa, while McLaren selected Leonardo Fornaroli in place of Lando Norris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes ran Frederik Vesti instead of George Russell, Racing Bulls fielded Nikola Tsolov in Liam Lawson&#8217;s car, and Haas gave Ry\u014d Hirakawa Esteban Ocon&#8217;s seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alpine selected Gabriele Min\u00ec for Franco Colapinto, Audi fielded Freddie Slater in place of Gabriel Bortoleto, Williams ran Luke Browning instead of Alexander Albon, Aston Martin gave Jak Crawford an opportunity in Lance Stroll&#8217;s car, and Cadillac selected Colton Herta to replace Valtteri Bottas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The changes were particularly significant because Mexico&#8217;s opening practice session is already difficult to interpret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With relatively little grip available on a track that becomes progressively cleaner as the weekend develops, lap times can improve substantially between sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc led FP1 with a 1:18.128, but his advantage did not establish a definitive competitive order because half the regular grid was absent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FP2 provided a considerably more representative picture as the regular drivers returned and began completing qualifying simulations and longer runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rookie substitutions also created uneven preparation across the grid, a situation that became particularly damaging for Audi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Ferrari has the speed to challenge for pole and victory<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc was the standout performer of Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ferrari driver topped FP1 and then improved to <strong>1:17.827 in FP2<\/strong>, finishing 0.103 seconds ahead of Norris and 0.106 clear of Russell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The margins were small, but Leclerc demonstrated competitive speed on both the medium and soft tyre compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pirelli confirmed that the Ferrari driver was the fastest competitor on each compound during Friday&#8217;s running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The performance was particularly encouraging for a team seeking to maintain its recent momentum after Charles Leclerc finished second at the United States Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ferrari&#8217;s competitiveness was not limited to a single flying lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc also produced encouraging long-run times on medium tyres, suggesting that the SF-26 could remain competitive over Sunday&#8217;s race distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Comparisons with rivals nevertheless require caution because the teams used different compounds and ran their race simulations under different conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell and Norris completed longer runs on soft tyres, while Leclerc concentrated on the medium compound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamilton&#8217;s afternoon was less productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The seven-time World Champion suffered a power-unit problem and was instructed to stop his Ferrari during FP2, bringing his running to an early conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the failure, however, Hamilton had demonstrated competitive sector times, adding to Ferrari&#8217;s positive impression from the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc&#8217;s qualifying simulations, medium-tyre pace and the team&#8217;s uninterrupted FP1 programme give Ferrari reasons to be competitive on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The challenge will be converting that speed into a result against McLaren and Mercedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Verstappen and Lawson lose grid positions after unnecessary collision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of Friday&#8217;s most unusual incidents involved two drivers from the Red Bull organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen and Lawson collided during FP2 after battling for track position through the stadium section at Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident began as Verstappen attempted to move ahead approaching Turn 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawson resisted, and the pair continued side by side through the following corners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact occurred as the cars negotiated the narrow section, damaging Verstappen&#8217;s Red Bull and the Racing Bulls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Debris was left on the circuit, prompting a red flag while marshals cleared the track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both drivers continued the session, with Verstappen finishing fifth and Lawson ninth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the consequences extended beyond the damage to their cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After reviewing the incident, the FIA stewards imposed <strong>a one-place grid penalty on each driver for Sunday&#8217;s Mexican Grand Prix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both also received one penalty point on their super licences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The stewards considered the behaviour unacceptable, particularly because the teams had been warned about unnecessary manoeuvres during practice at an earlier meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both drivers acknowledged that their actions had been unnecessary and poorly judged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The penalties mean that Verstappen and Lawson will lose one position from their respective qualifying results when the starting grid is established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Verstappen, the incident also complicated his Friday programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Damage to aerodynamic components affected the Red Bull&#8217;s performance, reducing the amount of representative data available during the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dutchman finished FP2 0.311 seconds behind Leclerc, but the damaged car makes it difficult to determine how much of that deficit reflected the team&#8217;s true pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. McLaren is back in contention \u2014 and Mercedes remains close<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McLaren&#8217;s Friday performance was another significant development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a difficult period in which the team struggled to compete consistently with the leading cars, Norris showed encouraging speed in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British driver finished second in FP2 with a 1:17.930, just <strong>0.103 seconds behind Leclerc<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result followed a competitive qualifying simulation and suggested that McLaren has the potential to challenge for a leading grid position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Norris also delivered one of the strongest long runs of the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His average on the soft compound was approximately 1:21.319 across 13 laps, according to the analysis published by <em>Autosport<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell completed a comparable run at approximately 1:21.442, while Verstappen averaged around 1:21.490.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc was also competitive on medium tyres, although the compound difference prevents a straightforward ranking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes remained firmly involved in the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russell finished third in FP2, just 0.003 seconds behind Norris, while championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fourth, 0.217 seconds away from Leclerc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonelli&#8217;s performance was particularly relevant after he missed Thursday&#8217;s media activities because of a viral illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes had expected the Italian to return for Friday&#8217;s running, and he completed the session among the leading drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team therefore entered Saturday with both cars close to the front despite the interruptions to its weekend preparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/can-ill-antonelli-win-f1-title-in-mexico-without-racing-or-scoring-points\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO explained before Mexico, Antonelli needs only two points to secure the 2026 World Championship<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Friday results indicate that Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes could all compete for pole position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Red Bull also remains in contention, although Verstappen&#8217;s damaged car made its true performance more difficult to assess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mexican Grand Prix 2026 \u2014 FP2 top five<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Pos.<\/th><th>Driver<\/th><th>Team<\/th><th>Time<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>1<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>C. LECLERC<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Ferrari<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>1:17.827<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>\u2014<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>L. NORRIS<\/td><td>McLaren<\/td><td>1:17.930<\/td><td>+0.103<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>G. RUSSELL<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:17.933<\/td><td>+0.106<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>K. ANTONELLI<\/td><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>1:18.044<\/td><td>+0.217<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>M. VERSTAPPEN<\/td><td>Red Bull<\/td><td>1:18.138<\/td><td>+0.311<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Official FP2 classification. Verstappen&#8217;s one-place grid penalty will apply to Sunday&#8217;s race, not to his practice result.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Bortoleto loses almost an entire day as Audi encounters technical problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Gabriel Bortoleto, the opening day of the Mexican Grand Prix produced almost no useful preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Brazilian was already scheduled to miss FP1, with Audi handing his car to junior driver Freddie Slater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the rookie&#8217;s session was disrupted when the team discovered that a cooling fan had been left on the car during running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Audi subsequently spent a lengthy period inspecting the vehicle and assessing potential damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problems continued into FP2, when Bortoleto was expected to return to the cockpit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further technical issues delayed his participation for much of the one-hour session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the time the Brazilian was able to return to the circuit, approximately three-quarters of FP2 had already elapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bortoleto completed <strong>12 laps in total<\/strong>, but only two were representative timed laps towards the end of the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His best time was 1:20.174, leaving him 22nd and last, more than two seconds behind teammate Nico H\u00fclkenberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The finishing position was not the most significant consequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With almost no opportunity to conduct qualifying simulations or race preparation, Bortoleto lost the chance to establish a clear understanding of the car&#8217;s performance at Sepang&#8217;s opposite end of the Formula 1 calendar: Mexico City&#8217;s high-altitude circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Audi also lost valuable information on tyre degradation and setup changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">H\u00fclkenberg was able to complete considerably more running and finished 15th with a 1:19.023, giving the team at least one substantial data set from the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bortoleto acknowledged that the day had been difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Not the easiest day for us,&#8221; he said in Audi&#8217;s official Friday report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Brazilian thanked his mechanics for their efforts to get the car back on track and said the team would attempt to recover lost ground during Saturday&#8217;s final practice session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FP3 will therefore carry greater importance for Bortoleto than for most of the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He will have only one hour to assess the car&#8217;s balance, prepare for qualifying and gain confidence on a circuit where the altitude and braking demands create unusual technical challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens next at the Mexican Grand Prix?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third and final practice session takes place on Saturday, October 31, before qualifying determines the starting grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leclerc enters the day having led both Friday sessions, but Norris, Russell and Antonelli remain within 0.217 seconds of his FP2 benchmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verstappen must overcome both the uncertainty caused by his damaged car and the one-place grid penalty already imposed by the stewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bortoleto, meanwhile, faces the task of rebuilding his preparation after Audi&#8217;s disrupted Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mexican Grand Prix \u2014 Remaining schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Session<\/th><th>Mexico City (CST)<\/th><th>UK (GMT)<\/th><th>Bras\u00edlia (BRT)<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>FP3 \u2014 Saturday<\/td><td>11:30am<\/td><td>5:30pm<\/td><td>2:30pm<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Qualifying \u2014 Saturday<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3:00pm<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>9:00pm<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>6:00pm<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Race \u2014 Sunday<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>2:00pm<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>8:00pm<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>5:00pm<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/is-there-f1-qualifying-today-mexico-city-gp-start-time-in-the-uk\/\">Mexican Grand Prix qualifying guide for the United Kingdom<\/a> provides session times and viewing details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For viewers in the United States and Canada, the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-f1-qualifying-today-in-the-us-and-canada-mexico-gp-schedule\/\">North American qualifying schedule<\/a> includes the relevant time-zone conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fans in India, Australia and New Zealand can also check the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-mexican-gp-qualifying-in-india-australia-and-new-zealand\/\">qualifying schedule for Asia and Oceania<\/a>, where the session takes place on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1 section<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charles Leclerc dominated Friday&#8217;s timesheets at Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez, but McLaren&#8217;s race pace, a Red Bull collision and Audi&#8217;s technical problems added uncertainty before qualifying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020319679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Charles Leclerc","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Ferrari","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_ai_content_disclaimer":"","42wp_is_ai_content":false,"42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":75,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_hide_from_automatic":false,"42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[160,28,56,208],"42wp_author":[75],"class_list":["post-4655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-audi","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-ferrari","tag-gabriel-bortoleto","42wp_author-pedro-henrique-marum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4656,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4655\/revisions\/4656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020319679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4655"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=4655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}