Ferrari swept Friday practice in Mexico City with Charles Leclerc fastest in both sessions, but the scarlet cars aren't dominating for the reason everyone predicted. The paddock assumed Ferrari's smaller turbo would thrive in the thin air at 7,400 feet — yet Leclerc was actually slowest of the top four teams on the long straights into Turns 4 and 12. Lewis Hamilton confirmed it: "They're still quicker at the end of the straights, like they are in every race. The turbo is just not making a difference."
Ferrari's edge is coming from where it's excelled all season — low-speed corners. The SF-24 carved time through the twisty infield sections, and Leclerc's long-run pace on mediums looked ominous. But the gap isn't unbridgeable. McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull all ran within a few tenths once you account for traffic and cool-down laps, and Max Verstappen spent his afternoon nursing floor damage from a clash with Liam Lawson. If Ferrari doesn't nail qualifying and get clean air early, this could still be a fight.
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