Charles Leclerc heads into the third and final practice session of the 2026 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix after topping both Friday sessions for Ferrari. The Monegasque driver established himself as the early benchmark at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, but McLaren and Mercedes remain close as the teams prepare for the final opportunity to refine their cars before qualifying.
Welcome to ScuderiaFans.com’s live coverage of FP3 at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The session is scheduled to begin at 18:30 CET and finish one hour later at 19:30 CET. These final 60 minutes will be particularly important for completing set-up adjustments ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s race, which could see Andrea Kimi Antonelli secure his first Formula 1 World Championship.
F1 Mexico GP FP3 LIVE: Final practice before qualifying
The third free practice session represents the last opportunity for Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull to assess their cars on track before the competitive action begins. With the leading drivers separated by relatively small margins on Friday, final set-up decisions could prove important in determining the qualifying order.
For Ferrari, the priority will be to build on an encouraging opening day. Charles Leclerc finished fastest in both FP1 and FP2 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, providing a promising indication of the SF-26’s single-lap performance.
Fans following the weekend can find the complete session timings and television information in our 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix schedule.
Charles Leclerc fastest in FP1 and FP2 as Ferrari sets the pace
Ferrari enjoyed a particularly strong Friday in Mexico City, with Charles Leclerc setting the fastest lap in both practice sessions. The Monegasque maintained his advantage during the afternoon’s FP2 session, finishing approximately one tenth of a second ahead of his closest challengers, Lando Norris and George Russell.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured fourth place, around two tenths behind the leading Ferrari. The Mercedes driver also finished ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who faces a one-place grid penalty following an incident involving Liam Lawson, who was also penalised.
The competitive Friday performance leaves Ferrari in an encouraging position heading into the final practice session, although the narrow gaps suggest that the order could still change before qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton looks to recover after Ferrari technical problem
While Charles Leclerc completed a successful Friday programme, the other Ferrari experienced a more difficult afternoon. Lewis Hamilton was forced to end his practice running early because of a technical problem, interrupting his preparations for the remainder of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
The seven-time world champion will therefore be one of the drivers to watch during FP3 as Ferrari attempts to complete its preparations before qualifying. His interrupted Friday session also leaves the team with less running from its second car compared with the programme completed by Leclerc.
The Scuderia entered the weekend facing questions about how the SF-26 would perform at the demanding Mexican circuit, following the progress shown by Ferrari’s upgraded car in Austin and the different challenge posed by Mexico City.
Mexico City GP FP3: Live updates, lap times and results
With Ferrari leading Friday’s timesheets, McLaren and Mercedes close behind, and Red Bull seeking further performance, the final practice session could provide important indications ahead of qualifying. Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s championship opportunity adds further significance to the weekend.
Follow our minute-by-minute coverage of the third practice session at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, including the latest developments, lap times and the final classification as teams complete their preparations at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
For further comparisons of Friday’s running and the final practice session, explore our F1 practice and long-run analysis, covering driver performance and lap-time trends across practice sessions.
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