The opening practice session for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix featured an unusually large number of driver changes, with almost half the grid occupied by substitutes rather than the regular race drivers.
That left several established competitors without valuable track time at a circuit already presenting considerable challenges. Mexico City’s extreme altitude adds another layer of complexity, particularly with the lower-downforce characteristics of the new 2026 Formula 1 cars. Finding the right aerodynamic balance is especially important at a venue where downforce remains crucial despite the thinner air.
With so many regular drivers missing FP1, the session also provided fewer opportunities for teams to gather feedback from their usual race line-ups.
Here are the complete results from the first free practice session:
1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1m18.128s
2 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.659s
3 Fred Vesti (Mercedes) +0.733s
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.738s
5 Ayumu Iwasa (Red Bull) +0.985s
6 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.082s
7 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.229s
8 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +1.248s
9 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +1.284s
10 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1.350s
11 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) +1.417s
12 Nikola Tsolov (Racing Bulls) +1.476s
13 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) +1.480s
14 Gabriele Mini (Alpine) +1.818s
15 Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) +1.854s
16 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.878s
17 Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren) +2.107s
18 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +2.267s
19 Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) +2.675s
20 Luke Browning (Williams) +2.741s
21 Freddie Slater (Audi) +2.817s
22 Colton Herta (Cadillac) +3.237s
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