Lando Norris the fastest in last practice in Mexico

The McLaren team driver took the best time of the morning at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, ahead of qualifying

Lando Norristeam driver McLarenachieved the best time during the third and final free practice towards qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix20th date of the season Formula 1.

TO Lando Norris They followed him Ferrari of Lewis Hamiltonwhich seems to be the pilot that the Mexican public has chosen as the one at home in the absence of Czech Perez. And in third position he finished mercedes of George Russell. Oscar Piastri leader of the drivers’ championship improved compared to yesterday and finished fifth; Max Verstappenthird in the world championship, was sixth.

Although the last 15 minutes were to test the car in qualifying mode, most of the session was focused on race pace, an area in which most of the drivers on the grid were not satisfied after two tests on Friday.

Max Verstappen For example, he did two stints with medium tires of 10 and 9 turns respectively, before stopping and going for the soft tires to simulate a qualifying lap.

Norris, who came first in this run, did an 11-lap stint with the same soft compound – no one used the hard one. Hamilton, second, was also working with the medium compound before his fastest lap attempt – he clocked 19 laps with that compound and, attention, another 10 with soft.

Oscar Piastri, who had not had such an impressive Friday, came fifth, behind Charles Leclerc and in front of Verstappen, showing an improvement in the car’s set-up, and perhaps that now the team changed the engine map so that it delivered more power. He did 14 laps in mediums.

This last free practice, in addition to the top drivers, draws the attention of the teams’ programs Racing Bulls, Williams and Alpinesince they did not use any other compound than the soft one. It’s very hot in Mexico City, but it seems that the teams of F1 consider some stint of racing with this compound and leave aside the hard one.

The classification will be at 3 p.m. central Mexico, 17 p.m. eastern US.