Norris dominates final free practice at Mexico GP

Final free practice: brief overview

Lando Norris set a clear time in the closing stages. He drove a 1m16.633, making him by far the fastest. The session seemed very close for a long time. However, the final qualifying simulations spread out the field.

Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in second place. He was 0.345 seconds slower than Norris. George Russell completed the top three, at 0.512 seconds.

Max Verstappen was only sixth. He lost 0.609 seconds to Norris. Verstappen was driving on lower power, which explains his time. Oscar Piastri finished fifth, behind Charles Leclerc.

What stood out during the session

The session saw many lock-ups and mistakes in the stadium section. Crowds on the track and traffic also caused awkward moments. Williams had a difficult session. Carlos Sainz even drove on the grass at Turn 1 for a short time. Alex Albon made several braking mistakes in the stadium area. He suspected something was wrong with his car.

Fernando Alonso did not appear on the track after his early runs. As a result, he turned only half the number of laps of the rest. He did not drive on the soft tyres and finished last.

• Norris fastest: 1m16.633
• Top three: McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes
• Verstappen on lower power mode, sixth
• Williams with incidents: Sainz and Albon far back
• Alonso made few laps and stayed in the background

Results (order and backlog)

1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m16.633
2 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.345s
3 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.512s
4 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.566s
5 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.599s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.609s
7 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.620s
8 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.763s
9 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.782s
10 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.893s
11 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.919s
12 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.941s
13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.965s
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +1.031s
15 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.168s
16 Alex Albon (Williams) +1.361s
17 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +1.413s
18 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.779s
19 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.948s
20 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.978s