A single thousandth separates Norris and Antonelli
Lando Norris ended Mexico FP3 with a 1:17.600, only 0.001 seconds ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Charles Leclerc finished third. McLaren’s benchmark came in the final minutes of Saturday’s session on 31 October. This article records the last practice hour before qualifying, with its times and running totals, on a day when the order between teams continued to evolve.
The leading five and their amount of running
Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen complete the leading five. The classification keeps the best lap separate from the number of laps completed. APEX’s reading is that a one-thousandth gap establishes a precise timing order, while assessing a programme also requires its running context. The table allows those measures to be compared without turning the amount of work completed into a ranking of performance over a race distance.
| Pos | Driver | Time / gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | 1:17.600 | 26 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | +0.001 s | 24 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | +0.117 s | 21 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | +0.195 s | 20 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | +0.351 s | 21 |
Soft tyres produced the final references
Formula 1’s account places the leading drivers’ soft-tyre attempts in the final 20 minutes. Antonelli set a 1:17.601 before Norris edged ahead at the end. Leclerc abandoned an initial soft run after going wide, then returned with a better lap. APEX analysis: the sequence of attempts matters when comparing the times, particularly when a driver has to reset his preparation after an error.
Bortoleto and Pérez did not record times
Gabriel Bortoleto completed two laps and Sergio Pérez one, with neither recording a time in the FIA classification. Formula 1 describes an Audi power-unit problem and a precautionary unit change at Cadillac before qualifying. For both teams, the session therefore supplies very little track data from those cars. The contrast with the programmes completed by other drivers belongs in the assessment of the practice hour and the preparation each team could carry forward.
Qualifying later produced a different order
This FP3 review is published after qualifying, when Norris is listed sixth and Piastri 13th in the provisional FIA document. Hamilton set the quickest time in the deciding session. APEX’s reading is that the contrast demonstrates why practice and qualifying should be assessed as different stages, with their own attempts and results. Sunday’s race on 1 November starts at 22:00 in Romania and will add the comparison over a longer distance.
