Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris made it a McLaren one-two in final practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

McLaren dominated the session - Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was 0.340 seconds off the pace and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fourth quickest, 0.511secs behind Piastri.

Piastri, whose car does not have a new front wing and floor that Norris does, was 0.059secs ahead of the Briton.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was fifth quickest ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who was quick through the session but seemed not to nail a good lap on new tyres at the end.

McLaren’s pace, if it translates to qualifying, is what Norris needs as he seeks to close Verstappen’s 57-point lead at the top of the championship.

Norris needs to close on the Dutchman by an average of just under 12 points a race over the remaining five grands prix if he is to win the championship.

McLaren have already agreed that Piastri will help Norris’ title bid if the circumstances arise.

Verstappen appeared to be struggling in the Red Bull, saying over the radio: “This doesn’t work. There is no grip front and rear.”

Are McLaren the team to beat in qualifying? And if they are, who will come out on top between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris?

We haven't got long to wait to find out, so go and grab yourselves a break, maybe watch Strictly, and then come back and join us for build up to qualifying at 21:45 BST.

Q1 will go green at 22:00 BST.

See you shortly!

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Verstappen has had three really difficult practice sessions, he doesn't have any data to go by in regards to his team-mate because Sergio Perez has not been on the pace.

[Red Bull] have got to change something but what do they change?

11. Alex Albon (Williams)

12. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

13. Franco Colapinto (Williams)

14. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

16. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

18. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

19. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

20. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:16.492

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.059

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.340

4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.511

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.568

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.740

7. Yuki Tsunoda (RB) +0.810

8. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.849

9. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +0.982

10. Liam Lawson (RB) +1.002

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

This is really going to unfold into quite an intriguing qualifying here, it feels that the pendulum is slightly shifting now in McLaren's favour.

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Every time that Mercedes tries to negotiate a corner, it's as if they just show it the corner and the rear will either over rotate and have an oversteer, or, they will go straight into understeer and have an oversteer moment on the exit.

It's like the drivers don't really know what's going to happen with the car, it looks so nervous and on edge.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are struggling in the Red Bull. Moments after Verstappen flagged a lack of grip, Perez is on the blower to say there is "no potential on the front to attack the braking".

"Ah this doesn't **** work. There's no grip, front and rear."

With the McLarens showing decent form in this third practice session, Max Verstappen will be hoping the ghosts have been banished from his less-than-perfect Red Bull. The Dutchman is fourth on the timesheets but is now on the radio to say the lack of grip is worrying.

Sergio Perez, watched on by Papa Perez this weekend, needs a strong race on home soil to turn around what has been a "terrible" season, in his words. The Mexican reaches his adoring fans in the stadium section but a lock-up means he has to back off and abort his attempt, keeping him down in 13th place.

Harry Benjamin
BBC F1 Commentator

Lando Norris has the new floor and a little upgrade to the front wing that was put in place last weekend in Austin, Oscar Piastri does not.

That's encouraging for Piastri anyway.

1. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 1:16.492

2. Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.059

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.340

4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.511

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +0.568

Lewis Hamilton is fourth on the timesheets after his run on the soft tyres. His engineer Pete Bonnington informs the seven-time world champion he is over half a second away from the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Hamilton is flabbergasted.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

[On Ferraris team principal] Fred Vasseur has played an absolute blinder on a whole bunch of different levels but he's just calmed everything down, he's taken the drama out of Ferrari.

They don't have reliability problems anymore, the strategy is much more solid, they do make the odd mistake but everybody does.

That didn't last long. Lando Norris is up on his title rival Max Verstappen and jumps above the Red Bull man to go top. But here comes the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, who finds 0.059 seconds on his soft flyer to lead the field with a 1:16.492.

Sam Bird
Formula E driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I am excited about Liam Lawson, I think he's driven pretty much everything and anything and been quick in everything he's ever done. I am tipping him for really good things.

It's been a quiet session so far for Max Verstappen following yesterday's power-unit issues. The Dutchman knows his benchmark is the two Ferraris in third practice and as he completes his flyer on the soft compound, he goes top of the leaderboard with a 1:17.003.

Franco Colapinto, the driver who has caused quite a stir since he replaced Logan Sargeant mid-way through the season, has put his Williams fifth on the timesheets after his soft-tyre attempt. The rookie has some information for his pit wall, however, saying: "I hit the floor quite hard on the exit of Turn Three".

Image source, Getty Images