Ferrari showed a moderate race pace during practice sessions in Mexico. After strong single-lap performances, the team revealed some difficulties in managing brake temperatures with a full fuel load. The drivers tested several settings via the steering wheel to limit this issue ahead of Sunday’s race. Lando Norris was the fastest, maintaining an average pace unmatched by the rest of the field.
Norris untouchable, Leclerc six-tenths slower
During the high-fuel simulation, Ferrari used the same tire compound for both drivers. Among the Scuderia drivers, Charles Leclerc was the fastest, completing three more laps than his teammate. The Monegasque, effectively six-tenths slower than Lando Norris in the McLaren, worked extensively on brake balance as requested by the pits.
Even in FP1, keen observers noticed how Charles experimented with different brake balance settings and brake migration to understand the behavior of the new rear brake ducts designed to improve cooling. With the upgraded brake air intakes, the goal was to find the correct balance to reduce lift-and-coast during the race.
Increased ventilation will undoubtedly benefit the SF-25. The front brake ducts receive more energy flow, allowing better cooling than the rear. The final choice of brake balance will be crucial, as moving it too far rearwards can increase oversteer on corner entry, complicating handling.
Hamilton focuses on braking, fewer long-run laps
Lewis Hamilton, having skipped FP1, completed an additional attempt with a low fuel load, spending less time on long runs in the Mexican afternoon. He made a few more mistakes than his teammate, turning laps about two-tenths slower. His focus was on improving braking in corners 4 and 12 and managing peak braking force correctly.
Leclerc, Norris, and Antonelli struggle with end-of-stint performance drop
Max Verstappen ran similar laps to Ferrari, matching Hamilton’s pace on the same tire. After the sixth lap of his simulation, the Dutchman reported a lack of grip, sliding considerably. As the degradation graph shows, Max had to ease off, losing about a second to regain tire adhesion.
Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, experienced the worst degradation among the top drivers, with a consistent drop in tire performance over his stint. Likely, he adopted an aggressive approach in the opening laps to test the tire limits, which then constrained him due to wear and brake duct temperatures. Lando Norris, on soft tires, showed excellent race pace, maintaining a six-tenth advantage over Leclerc on equal compounds. However, Norris experienced significant performance drop, losing about a second from the first to the last lap.
Oscar Piastri, similar to Austin, struggled with major braking zones, notably corners 1 and 12. With fuel load, the rear of the MCL39 #81 lacked longitudinal grip under braking. The degradation graph also shows he struggled to maintain consistent lap times, though he managed tire wear better than his teammate.
Russell second only to Norris in pace
At Mercedes, engineers ran a long run on medium tires for both drivers. George Russell was faster than his young Italian teammate, effectively the second fastest on track, though a considerable gap remained to Norris. Antonio Antonelli tested multiple steering-wheel adjustments during his stint, trying different engine maps and differential settings.
The Bolognese driver reported too much torque at the rear, making the car unstable in the final corners. Regarding degradation, Russell managed to maintain pace with minimal drop, while Antonelli struggled with fluctuating lap times and rear grip loss in the final laps.
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