Leclerc tops both practice sessions as Hamilton is sidelined by failure

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished both free practice sessions of the Mexico Grand Prix with the best time. Leclerc set a 1:17.827 to go ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell. Ferrari's strong performance was, however, overshadowed by a technical problem suffered by Lewis Hamilton.

Just before the halfway point of the session, as Hamilton was about to take the top of the timing sheets, he suffered a failure in the final sector that appeared to be engine related. The driver managed to complete the lap, but his engineer told him to pull over at the side of the track. Hamilton, who was 11th at the time, ended his session early and missed out on the valuable data that his rivals gathered from their simulation laps.

The collision between Max Verstappen and his former teammate Liam Lawson was one of the most talked-about incidents of the day. The four-time world champion crashed while trying to pass Lawson. Debris left on the track led to a red flag. The race stewards handed both drivers a grid penalty for Sunday's race and said they found the conduct of both drivers unacceptable.

Kimi Antonelli will become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history if he finishes ninth in Sunday's race. He placed fourth in this session, finishing a tenth of a second behind Russell. Oscar Piastri ended his day 10th, more than half a second behind his teammate Norris.