Norris Sets Pace in Final Practice Ahead of Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying
McLaren driver Lando Norris topped the final practice session ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, edging out championship leader Kimi Antonelli by just 0.001 seconds in a tightly contested hour at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Norris posted a lap time of 1:17.600 on soft compound tyres, narrowly ahead of Mercedes driver Antonelli and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who placed third quickest.
The weekend action moves toward qualifying at 21:00 GMT on Saturday, setting the stage for Sunday's 71-lap grand prix. Mercedes driver Antonelli enters the weekend on the verge of clinching the Formula 1 world championship. The young Italian can secure his maiden title during Sunday's race as long as he avoids losing more than 23 points to teammate George Russell or 24 points to Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.
Behind the top three in final practice, Oscar Piastri took fourth for McLaren, while Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished fifth despite encountering brake issues in the thin air of Mexico City. Other notable developments included Esteban Ocon being replaced at Haas for the remainder of the weekend by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, alongside power-unit trouble preventing Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Cadillac's Sergio Perez from setting timed laps.
