Ferrari driver Leclerc tops both Mexico City Grand Prix practices — TimesLIVE

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was fastest in both Friday practice sessions ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. In the second session, he posted a lap time of 1 minute 17.827 seconds, TimesLIVE reports.

Practice results

Leclerc was also first in the opening practice with a time of 1 minute 18.128 seconds, finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of his rivals. The gaps were significantly smaller in the second session: reigning world champion and last year's Mexican round winner Lando Norris of McLaren took second place, 0.103 seconds behind the Monegasque. Mercedes driver George Russell was third.

Leclerc said Ferrari's performance looked quite good, but the team still needed to work on factors limiting its results. According to him, the track surface was slippery.

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Title fight and track stoppages

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who was recovering from a viral illness and missed Thursday's media day, was second in the first practice and fourth in the second. The Italian has a 123-point advantage over his teammate Russell and needs two more points, meaning a ninth-place finish, to secure the title. Russell must win Sunday's race to retain mathematical chances, after which four rounds will remain in the season.

With 47 minutes remaining in the second practice, the session was halted by red flags after contact between Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson. Debris from the Dutchman's car remained on the track. Lawson said over the radio that Verstappen drove into him, while Verstappen responded that his rival should have acted more intelligently. With half an hour remaining in the session, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton stopped on track due to a loss of power, triggering a virtual safety car period.