Charles Leclerc tops Mexican Grand Prix FP1 as Arvid Lindblad beats Yuki Tsunoda

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Charles Leclerc topped the FP1 session timings at the Mexican Grand Prix, as key championship contenders gave up their seats for mandatory rookie runs.

Nine rookies were in the cars for the Mexican Grand Prix FP1, with all eyes on Arvid Lindblad in particular, who is tipped for a move to Formula 1 next season.

Championship contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were forced to miss the first running around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as the teams participated in one of their four mandatory rookie runs.

Yuki Tsunoda was beaten by Red Bull Junior Lindblad by one hundredth of a second, during an FP1 session that could prove vital in the team’s driver decision next year. Team principal Laurent Mekies revealed post-session that the two cars were running slightly different plans, which could have aided the young Brit.

Oscar Piastri, who is leading the drivers’ championship by 14 points, was the first driver to start soft tyre runs at the midway point of the session, setting a time nearly a whole second faster than Isack Hadjar on the mediums.

It’s a difficult session to gauge race pace, with dusty track conditions and nine rookies on track, meaning we haven’t yet seen how key championship contenders could perform.

The dusty circuit caught out a couple of drivers, including Paul Aron in the early part of the session and then Hadjar with 20 minutes remaining. The Racing Bulls driver bailed out at Turn 12, heading down the escape road, before reversing back onto the track.

Kimi Antonelli looked strong in the practice session, sitting in P2, after Mercedes confirmed his seat with the team in 2026.

Franco Colapinto outperformed Alpine rookie Aron in a session where the team would be comparing performance between the two drivers as they continue to consider their line-up for next year.