In the opening practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc topped the timesheet, setting the pace ahead of rookie Kimi Antonelli and Nico Hulkenberg. Leclerc's fastest lap was 1:18.380, with Antonelli just 0.107 seconds behind. The session featured nine rookie drivers, including Antonelli and Paul Aron, with Piastri and Norris from McLaren also performing well. Oscar Piastri set the fastest overall time of 1:19.035, becoming the first driver to break the 1-minute 20-second barrier, and briefly led the session. Leclerc regained the top spot with a lap of 1:18.380. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen experienced a difficult qualifying, finishing fifth and expressing pessimism about his race prospects, stating, 'I have no pace, so it doesn't matter what I do in Turn 1.' Verstappen, who is 40 points behind championship leader Piastri, admitted his car has been very difficult to drive in Mexico and doubts he can gain positions in the race. Lando Norris secured pole position, with Piastri starting seventh, which could influence the championship standings significantly if they finish where they start. The race remains critical as Verstappen trails Norris by 41 points with only four races remaining.