Overview
- Lando Norris secured pole in Mexico with a 1:15.586, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton lining up P2 and P3, George Russell P4, Max Verstappen P5, Andrea Kimi Antonelli P6, and Oscar Piastri moving to P7 after Carlos Sainz’s penalty.
- McLaren signaled confidence in race pace while stressing a clean first lap, as Mexico’s long run to Turn 1 and Pirelli’s C2/C4/C5 selection point to a likely one-stop strategy with critical tyre temperature management.
- Red Bull acknowledged a lack of grip and balance for Verstappen and downplayed victory prospects, shifting focus to limiting damage against Piastri as team advisor Helmut Marko cast Norris as the clear favourite.
- At Sepang, Alex Márquez led MotoGP warm-up with Fermin Aldeguer second and Francesco Bagnaia third on a hot, slick track, reinforcing Gresini’s strong form on race morning.
- A serious Moto3 sighting-lap collision involving José Antonio Rueda and Noah Dettwiler left both riders conscious but airlifted to hospital, prompting a revised timetable with a shortened Moto3, MotoGP at full distance at 15:00 local, and Moto2 moved later.