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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc led both Mexico City GP practice sessions as Kimi Antonelli approached a potential historic Formula 1 title triumph on Sunday.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc set the pace in both Friday practice sessions for the Mexico City Grand Prix, continuing his strong form for a second consecutive race weekend as Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli moved closer to securing the Formula 1 world championship.
The Monegasque driver clocked a fastest lap of 1 minute, 17.827 seconds in the second session, finishing 0.103 seconds ahead of McLaren's reigning world champion Lando Norris.
Mercedes' George Russell took third, followed by teammate Antonelli, who returned to action after missing Thursday's activities while recovering from a virus.
Leclerc's performance followed a similarly strong Friday showing at last weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Antonelli, 20, heads into Sunday's race with an opportunity to become Formula 1's youngest world champion and the first Italian to claim the title since 1963.
The Mercedes driver can secure the championship by finishing among the top nine, regardless of his rivals' results. He could also clinch the title if both Russell and Ferrari's seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton fail to win.
Meanwhile, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion and record five-time winner in Mexico, finished fifth ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar.
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad placed seventh, followed by Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
The second session was briefly interrupted after Verstappen and Lawson clashed early on, leaving the Red Bull driver with damaged bodywork.
Race officials brought out a red flag, temporarily stopping the session to clear debris from the Foro Sol section of the circuit.
Verstappen returned to the pits for repairs, while the stewards, Formula 1's officials responsible for enforcing racing regulations, noted the incident for investigation after practice.
Ferrari initially controlled the session through Leclerc before Norris moved ahead on soft tires, which generally provide greater grip but wear out faster.
However, Leclerc regained the lead as the teams continued their preparations for the race.
Hamilton, meanwhile, endured a difficult session after his Ferrari suffered a power failure shortly after he switched to soft tires. The seven-time champion pulled up on the straight after completing just one lap on the compound, eventually finishing 11th.
The mechanical setback cut short his opportunity to gather data on the softer tires, while the remaining drivers switched to heavier fuel loads and medium tires to carry out longer runs ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix.
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