McLaren's Oscar Piastri led the way ahead of teammate Lando Norris, showcasing a formidable one-two performance in the third and final practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday. Piastri's fastest lap of 1 minute and 16.492 seconds edged out Norris by 0.059 seconds, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz trailing in third place.

Max Verstappen, the three-time world champion and current series leader, secured fourth place for Red Bull, maintaining a 57-point lead over Norris with five races remaining in the season. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari rounded out the top six, followed by Yuki Tsunoda, George Russell, Kevin Magnussen, and Liam Lawson.

McLaren's impressive display served as a strong response after the stewards denied their appeal for a right of review following Norris's five-second penalty at the United States Grand Prix. The morning session took place under clear skies with a track temperature of 33 degrees and an air temperature of 17 degrees. Russell was the first to venture out for an installation lap, testing his car after an overnight rebuild following his high-speed crash on Friday.

Verstappen also made an early appearance to test his power unit, which had been replaced overnight due to issues encountered on Friday. Initially topping the times, he was soon surpassed by Russell. As the session progressed, Hamilton briefly took the lead with a lap of 1:18.123, only to be outpaced by Ferrari's Sainz and Leclerc. Sainz's lap of 1:17.334 kept him in the lead until a minor incident involving Lawson, who spun off a kerb but managed to recover without further incident.

With 15 minutes remaining, most drivers switched to soft tires, and Verstappen quickly took the lead with a lap of 1:17.003. However, McLaren's Norris and Piastri soon overtook him, demonstrating their speed and focus despite the recent setback in Texas. Verstappen expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of grip, noting issues at both the front and rear of his car.

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