Ferrari made an aggressive start to the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, with Charles Leclerc leading the opening free practice session as the team worked to gather important technical information about the SF-26. Early analysis suggests that the car has arrived in Mexico with excellent balance, strong traction and impressive braking performance, although limitations in available electrical energy have also emerged.
Despite the large number of rookie drivers participating in FP1, the session provided several interesting indications about the relative strengths of Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren. For the Maranello team, the priority appeared to be a carefully defined programme focusing on the power unit, aerodynamics and rear-end mechanical behaviour, particularly in relation to tyre response.
Ferrari adopts an aggressive Mexico GP FP1 programme to evaluate the SF-26
Ferrari appeared determined to make the most of the opening practice session, running an intensive programme from the very beginning. The team arrived in Mexico seeking answers in several technical areas, with particular attention apparently being paid to the interaction between the power unit, aerodynamic performance and rear-end mechanics.
Tyre behaviour was also a central part of the evaluation, especially given the low-grip conditions encountered at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Understanding how the rear of the SF-26 responds when adhesion is limited could provide valuable information for the remainder of the weekend.
In this context, Ferrari’s decision not to field a rookie driver in FP1 appeared particularly significant. While numerous competitors used the session to fulfil their rookie-driver obligations, the Italian team retained both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, allowing its regular drivers to begin collecting information and providing feedback immediately.
Ferrari SF-26 shows excellent balance, braking and traction in Mexico
Beyond the team’s testing programme, the initial indications regarding the SF-26’s on-track behaviour were particularly encouraging. The Ferrari appeared well balanced, without obvious handling difficulties, and was seemingly able to maintain that stability across the different types of corners found at the Mexican circuit.
The car was especially quick through the opening slow corners, performed competitively through the following sequence and negotiated the sweeping changes of direction in the middle sector effectively. This consistency across different corner characteristics suggests that the SF-26 has begun the weekend with a promising overall balance.
Another notable strength emerged under braking for Turn 12, at the entrance to the stadium section. Once again, Ferrari demonstrated one of the qualities that has stood out in its performance: strong braking capability. The car also appeared comfortable through the extremely slow stadium complex, without showing an obvious loss of competitiveness.
Equally encouraging was the SF-26’s traction on the exit of the stadium section towards the start-finish straight. That performance was particularly interesting considering the condition of the circuit, which remained relatively green and offered limited grip during the opening session.
With the track expected to gain rubber and evolve quickly throughout the weekend, the initial behaviour of the car provides Ferrari with an encouraging foundation. However, the SF-26’s adaptation to the different demands of the Mexico City Grand Prix remains an important test following the team’s recent progress in Austin.
Ferrari power unit shows strong initial deployment but limited energy later on
The most interesting technical question concerns Ferrari’s power unit and its deployment strategy. During the opening session, the Maranello team appeared to be pushing the engine particularly hard, with substantial power delivery along the first long straight.
However, the picture changed in the subsequent acceleration zones, where a shortage of available energy became apparent. This suggests that Ferrari’s strong initial deployment may have come at the expense of the electrical energy available later in the lap, although the precise causes and implications cannot yet be established.
At the same time, the SF-26 continued to demonstrate very good traction out of the corners. This combination of characteristics appears consistent with Ferrari’s intention to place significant demands on the rear of the car, potentially to better understand its mechanical response under especially difficult grip conditions.
The work may also have been intended to evaluate the effectiveness of the power unit at altitude, where the reduced air density introduces a further complication. Ferrari’s straight-line performance relative to Mercedes during the Austin weekend had already raised interesting technical questions, making the observations from Mexico particularly relevant.
Mercedes impresses with Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Red Bull shows potential
Ferrari was not the only team to show encouraging signs during the opening session. Mercedes also appeared competitive, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli immediately looking comfortable behind the wheel of a car that seemed well balanced from the outset.
Nevertheless, the gap to Charles Leclerc remained significant, at approximately six and a half tenths of a second. The Ferrari driver’s advantage was therefore notable, even allowing for the different programmes and conditions that can influence free practice times.
Another particularly positive performance came from Frederik Vesti, who finished just one tenth of a second behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli. That was an impressive result, especially in the context of a practice session featuring several substitute drivers.
McLaren, by contrast, appeared less convincing during the opening running. Its performance was not especially encouraging, although it remains too early to establish whether this reflected a genuine competitive disadvantage or simply the nature of its programme.
Red Bull, meanwhile, offered indications of potentially significant underlying performance. Ayumu Iwasa recorded the fifth-fastest time despite using the medium tyre compound, making his result particularly interesting.
The Red Bull also demonstrated straight-line performance similar to that of Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. Combined with the fifth-place lap on medium tyres, this suggested that the team could have considerable potential that was not fully reflected by the opening practice classification.
For a broader assessment of the session, the F1 practice and long-run analysis tool allows lap-time and stint-performance comparisons across the practice sessions.
Mexico City’s extreme altitude changes the aerodynamic picture
A final point of interest concerns the unusual conditions at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Located more than 2,200 metres above sea level, the Mexico City circuit presents a distinctive aerodynamic and power unit challenge.
The initial impression from FP1 is that the reduction in aerodynamic drag caused by the thinner air may be having a greater positive effect than the negative consequences of reduced air density on downforce generation and turbocharger response.
This balance could have important implications for the relative performance of the cars, although the opening session does not provide sufficient evidence to establish a definitive conclusion.
One particularly interesting observation involved the maximum speeds recorded during practice. Cars were reaching relatively high top speeds, but a more unusual feature was the tendency for their speeds to plateau at approximately 350 km/h for several seconds.
This behaviour was visible across much of the field and throughout different stages of the session. The extended period spent at approximately the same high speed appears consistent with aerodynamic drag having a relatively limited influence under the conditions encountered in Mexico.
Nevertheless, the exact contribution of aerodynamic resistance, power unit deployment and other performance factors remains difficult to isolate from the available observations. The cooling and grip challenges facing Ferrari in Mexico add further complexity to the assessment of the SF-26.
Why Mexico GP FP2 will provide a clearer picture of Ferrari’s competitiveness
The second free practice session is therefore expected to be particularly revealing. As more rubber is deposited on the circuit, grip levels should improve and the performance characteristics of the cars may become easier to assess.
Team programmes are also likely to become more comparable, reducing some of the uncertainty created by the different priorities seen during FP1. Most importantly, all the regular drivers will return to the track, allowing more representative comparisons between the leading teams.
Only then should it become possible to distinguish more clearly between the effects of different testing programmes and the genuine competitive potential of the cars. Ferrari’s opening performance has provided encouraging indications of excellent balance, braking and traction, but the apparent energy deployment limitations and unusual high-altitude conditions remain important areas to evaluate.
For the Maranello team, FP2 will be the next opportunity to understand whether the promising characteristics displayed by the SF-26 can translate into a sustained competitive advantage throughout the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
Leave a Reply