Leclerc tops both Mexico City Grand Prix practices as Hamilton hits trouble

Mexico City's altitude was a concern before the cars ran. On October 29, Marca reported that the circuit's elevation, about 2,200 metres above sea level, posed a challenge for combustion engines because of the reduced oxygen available.

The weekend also carried championship stakes. The BBC reported that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli arrived poised to clinch his first world title.

On October 30, Charles Leclerc put Ferrari first in the opening practice session, finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of Antonelli, according to the BBC.

It was an unusual opening session, with many regular drivers making way for rookies. Reports differed on the number: the BBC described 10 rookie drivers, while Adnkronos reported 11.

Leclerc stayed quickest in second practice, completing a Friday double, Sky Sports reported. His fastest lap was 1:17.827, according to L'Équipe.

Ferrari's day was not trouble-free. La Repubblica reported on October 31 that Lewis Hamilton had been forced to park beside the track during second practice because of a power unit problem.

Leclerc leads the practice picture, but the supplied reports disagree on the order behind him in the second session. Rss placed Lando Norris second, 0.103 seconds behind, followed by George Russell and Antonelli. L'Équipe instead listed Russell and Antonelli immediately behind Leclerc. ANSA also reported Antonelli fourth, so the accounts do not fully agree.

Final practice and qualifying follow on October 31, according to the schedules reported by La Nacion and Fanpage. The immediate tests are whether Leclerc can turn his Friday pace into pole position and whether Hamilton can return without further technical trouble.

Antonelli's title opportunity remains the larger weekend story. ABC Australia described the 20-year-old Mercedes driver as poised to become Formula 1's youngest champion, though the supplied coverage does not set out the points combinations required.