#F1 #MexicoGP FP3: @LandoNorris quickest by 0.345s over @LewisHamilton.

Norris Mexico GP FP3 – McLaren’s Lando Norris was quickest in the final practice session before qualifying at the Mexico City GP ahead of Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ George Russell who completed the top three. Championship leader Oscar Piastri was fifth and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took sixth.

Norris set the session-topping benchmark of a 1:16.633 on the C5 red side-walled softer compound and was 0.345 seconds clear of Hamilton whilst Russell was a further 0.512 adrift completing an all-British top three.

The final hour-long session began with the two Aston Martin’s of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso ventured out on the C4 yellow-marked medium and C2 white-branded hard tyres to scrub those sets whilst the rest remained in the garages.

Stroll and Alonso switched for the softs and mediums respectively whilst reigning world champion Verstappen followed them out also on the yellow side-walled tyre.

Verstappen was the first to register the benchmark of a 1:18.914 at the eighth-minute mark of proceedings.

Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton on his flyer went right into the turn four run-off and also on the beginning of his next hot-lap.

Replays showed the Briton suffer a front-right lock-up as turn one and travelled through the grass.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg with three personal bests slotted into third and 1.117 seconds down as team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto went quickest on a 1:18.783.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly jumped to fourth and fifth to be 1.511 and 1.596 seconds respectively.

Hamilton briefly held P1 with his 1:18.730 then was knocked off top spot by Verstappen’s 1:18.051 as Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari second to be 0.678 seconds off the Dutchman.

Williams’ Carlos Sainz was next with two purple sectors to take top spot on a 1:18.028 on the C5’s to be 0.023 seconds in-front of Verstappen at the 13^th-minute mark of proceedings.

The other Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda followed and with three personal bests went third overall on a 1:18.490 at the 15^th-minute mark as RB’s Liam Lawson shot to fourth on the softs setting a 1:18.490.

Replays showed Norris suffer a rear lock-up into turn four as behind him Hamilton went even further into the escape road at the same corner.

Alonso put his AMR25 entry fourth with a 1:18.696 but was demoted to fifth as Leclerc planted his Ferrari third on the time-sheets posting a 1:18.351 with two personal best opening sectors to be 0.323 seconds off.

Norris slotted into third in the order with two personal bests and a purple sector three to be 0.037 seconds off Sainz’s best effort – the championship contender posted a 1:18.065 on the mediums.

Lawson on the softer compound with a purple opening sector and middle personal bests hit fourth with a 1:18.270 t be 0.272 off Sainz’s benchmark.

Leclerc on his fifth tour on the mediums went to fourth overall with his 1:18.075 as RB’s Isack Hadjar slotted into fifth setting a 1:18.205 on the C5’s.

Norris with three personal bests went quickest with a 1:18.015 on his sixth lap on the C4’s to be 0.013 seconds clear of Sainz at the 26^th minute mark of the session as the drivers continued to circulate on the soft and medium compounds.

Albon with two personal bests went fifth overall to be 0.182 seconds off Norris’s best time as championship leader Piastri improved to ninth and 0.451 seconds adrift of team-mate Norris on his eighth tour on the medium tyres.

Mercedes’ George Russell was next as the Briton took third in the order to match Sainz’s best effort and on the mediums compared to the Williams driver’s softs with a 1:18.028 at the midway point of the session.

Leclerc continued on with the C4’s and with a purple middle sector improved to a 1:18.075 to be 0.060 off Norris’s benchmark.

Hadjar was next and with two personal best efforts put his VCARB02 entry into sixth setting a 1:18.080 to be 0.065 adrift of Norris as the top six were all covered under 0.070 seconds.

Russell with a purple sector two went fastest on 1:17.892 on the C4’s with 23 minutes remaining to be 0.123 seconds clear of Norris.

The majority of the field all began to tour back to the pits to adjust their setups and put in a lighter fuel load and a set of the C5’s to begin their qualifying simulation stints.

Albon was the first on the softer tyre under the 19^th minutes remaining mark to begin his flyer and later on in the flying lap – the Thai-Briton driver suffered a big lock-up on his front-left into the stadium section after setting the quickest sector one and two times and had to abandon his hot-lap.

Hadjar with a purple middle sector and two personal bests went quickest on a 1:17.396 as Stroll planted his AMR25 entry second with a 1:17.598 also on the C5’s.

Lawson put his VCARB02 entry fourth overall and 0.237 seconds off as Piastri went quickest on a 1:17.315 with a purple sector one to be 0.081 seconds clear of Hadjar.

Russell with three personal bests was demoted to fourth as Leclerc went fastest on a 1:17.306 but this was momentarily as Andrea Kimi Antonelli put his Silver Arrow quickest with a 1:17.253 to be 0.053 seconds faster than the Ferrari.

Verstappen was next on his flyer and with two personal bests and then a solid middle sector ended up fourth and 0.064 seconds off Antonelli’s best time.

Hamilton with two personal bests and a purple middle sector went even quicker posting a 1:16.978 to wound up 0.275 seconds clear of Antonelli.

Norris on his soft tyre flyer with three purples went even faster than his fellow British-compatriot to set a 1:16.633 to be 0.345 seconds clear at the head of the times.

Piastri with two personal bests went third in the classification setting a 1:17.232 to end up 0.599 seconds off leading team-mate Norris’s best effort with nine minutes remaining.

Russell with two personal bests went third in the classifications posting a 1:17.145 to end up 0.512 off Norris’s session-topper.

Leclerc was unable to improve on his next flyer as Verstappen with two personal bests improved to only sixth with his 1:17.272 to be 0.639 seconds off Norris.

The session ended with Norris on top with Hamilton second and Russell rounding out the top three.

Leclerc improved on his final hot-lap to take fourth with a 1:17.199 and ahead of championship contenders Piastri and Verstappen who were fifth and sixth respectively.

Antonelli was seventh in the classification and in-front of Hadjar and Tsunoda who took eighth and ninth.

Bortoleto completed the top ten for Sauber.

You can see the full Formula 1 Gran Premio De La Ciudad De Mexico 2025 Free Practice 3 Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2025 – PRACTICE 3

2025 F1 World Championship Standings