Ferrari maintained its strong form in Mexico City as Charles Leclerc completed a clean sweep of Friday’s practice sessions. After setting the pace in FP1, the Monegasque driver once again topped the timesheets in FP2 with a fastest lap of 1:17.827.
McLaren’s Lando Norris finished second, just 0.103 seconds behind Leclerc, while Mercedes driver George Russell secured third place, only three thousandths slower than Norris.
The result underlined Ferrari’s competitiveness over a single lap, although Leclerc will be determined to convert his Friday pace into a strong qualifying performance after missing out on pole position at the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s session cut short by technical trouble
While Leclerc enjoyed a productive afternoon, Lewis Hamilton experienced a frustrating session on the other side of the Ferrari garage.
The seven-time world champion reported a sudden loss of power before pulling his SF-26 off the circuit shortly after Turn 4, prompting a Virtual Safety Car intervention.
The technical issue disrupted Hamilton’s programme and prevented him from completing his planned running. Despite the setback, the British driver finished 11th, 0.685 seconds behind his teammate, having completed just 13 laps.
Ferrari will now investigate the cause of the problem ahead of Saturday’s final practice and qualifying sessions.
Verstappen and Lawson collide during red-flag interruption
The session was also disrupted by an incident involving Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson.
The two drivers became involved in a close battle through the stadium section, eventually making contact at Turn 14. The collision left debris on the track and forced race control to temporarily suspend the session with a red flag.
Verstappen eventually finished fifth, 0.311 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark, while Lawson ended the afternoon ninth for Racing Bulls.
Antonelli fourth as Piastri struggles for pace
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli continued his preparations for the Mexican Grand Prix with the fourth-fastest time, finishing 0.217 seconds behind Leclerc and just over a tenth behind teammate Russell.
The championship leader completed his programme after suffering from illness in the days leading up to the event.
Behind Verstappen, Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar secured sixth place, followed by Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Lawson finished ninth, while Oscar Piastri completed the top ten for McLaren, 0.642 seconds behind Leclerc.
Fernando Alonso placed 12th for Aston Martin, ahead of Haas teammates Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman. Nico Hülkenberg finished 15th for Audi, while home favourite Sergio Perez ende