Ferrari looked strong over a single lap on Friday in Mexico, with Charles Leclerc setting the second-fastest time in practice, but doubts remain about the team’s race pace. The Monegasque driver did not seem to have the speed to challenge the three championship contenders, meaning Ferrari’s main focus will likely be on its battle with Mercedes for second place in the Constructors’ standings. Lewis Hamilton is close behind Leclerc and believes he still has room for improvement.
The Scuderia remains in the fight. While no one expects Ferrari to challenge the top three drivers in the title race, the team is targeting the position right behind them — the maximum realistically achievable until the Abu Dhabi finale.
The real contest, however, appears to be with Mercedes. In Friday’s sessions, Charles Leclerc stayed ahead of the Russell–Antonelli duo in qualifying simulations — setting the second-best time overall behind Max Verstappen — but over long runs, both Ferraris struggled more, showing a noticeable gap to Russell and Antonelli.
The overall feeling inside the team was positive, but Ferrari engineers will need to improve the car’s performance with full fuel loads. The fight with Mercedes looks incredibly tight, likely coming down to tenths of a second — meaning Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton could find themselves anywhere between the second and fourth rows on the grid.
“Today we managed to put together some interesting laps,” said Charles Leclerc. “Overall, I had good feelings from the car. However, our rivals are very strong, so right now it doesn’t seem realistic to expect to be ahead of them tomorrow. We’ll build on today’s work and try to make some improvements to close the gap ahead of qualifying.”
Tyre strategy and race management will be key
The outcome of qualifying could prove decisive — just as it was in Austin last week. Based on Friday’s two practice sessions, the hard tyre doesn’t appear to offer enough performance to be a viable race option, while McLaren’s long runs highlighted surprisingly good durability from the soft compound. The race is expected to feature a one-stop strategy, with tyre and temperature management — for both the brakes and power unit — playing a crucial role.
If that forecast holds true, it could play to Ferrari’s advantage. On single-lap pace, both Hamilton and especially Leclerc have an extra edge to rely on. It seems that Ferrari’s engineers focused more on fine-tuning the car for qualifying, running a more aggressive power unit mode compared to their direct rivals.
Inside the Maranello garage, there is hope that a strong starting position can be defended on Sunday through careful management — something all teams will have to master. The main unknown remains tyre wear over the race distance, which could be the only real variable for those needing to gain positions. Any driver suffering from overheating could quickly become an easy target.
Hamilton optimistic after a limited Friday start
Lewis Hamilton missed FP1 as his car was handed to Antonio Fuoco for the session. The British driver made up ground in FP2, finishing just a tenth and a half behind Charles Leclerc in the qualifying simulations and matching his teammate’s times during the long run.
“The second session was a bit more challenging on the single lap,” Hamilton explained, “but in race configuration we were more consistent. There’s still potential to unlock, and we’ll do our best to be in a stronger position for FP3 and qualifying.”
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