Leclerc fastest in both practice sessions in Mexico

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in both practice sessions held on Friday. The Grand Prix, to be raced this weekend in Mexico City, could make Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli the youngest Formula 1 world champion in history. Antonelli missed Thursday's media day due to a viral illness. Even so, he finished second in the first session and fourth in the second.

Antonelli leads his teammate George Russell by 123 points. Two points are enough for the title, meaning ninth place is sufficient. For Russell to stay in contention, he must win on Sunday. Four races remain.

Leclerc finished the first session 0.659 seconds ahead of his rivals with a time of 1:18.128. The times were much closer in the second session, where Leclerc set his best lap at 1:17.827. Noting that the track was slippery, Leclerc said his overall performance was good but that the team needs to work on some limiting areas.

McLaren's Lando Norris, last year's winner and world champion, was 0.103 seconds behind in the second session. Russell finished third. Leclerc's teammate, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, stopped on track half an hour before the end, which brought out a virtual safety car. Hamilton said he had lost all power.

With 47 minutes left in the session, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson made contact. Debris scattered across the track led to a red flag. Lawson said Verstappen hits him every weekend. Verstappen downplayed the incident, saying Lawson should be smarter while fighting for his seat.