Max Verstappen topped second pr actice at the Mexico City Grand Prix – a session featuring all four front-running teams inside the top four places.
Sitting out FP1 to give junior Arvid Lindblad a spin did Verstappen’s speed no damage, with the Dutchman rocketing to the top spot with his sole run on soft tires and a fastest lap of 1m17.545s. He wasn’t totally happy with his afternoon, however, reporting that grip from his car was “terrible” and “like driving on ice” during his long run on the medium tire, though such complaints are typical of the high-altitude circuit where downforce is limited by the thinner atmosphere.
Charles Leclerc, fastest in the first session, followed the reigning champion by 0.153s in another competitive practice hour for Ferrari. Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed in third place, his fastest lap only 0.021s slower than Leclerc. The Italian rookie, however, set his fastest time later than most of the rest of the field and would have capitalized on marginally better track conditions as a result.
Lando Norris made it four teams inside the top four, though the Briton’s session was far from straightforward. After sitting out FP1 to give Pato O’Ward a run in his car, Norris reported a misfiring power unit almost immediately, surging in power as he took to the circuit. The team resolved the problem, but Norris’s first flying lap was compromised in the final sector, costing him half a second. A second flying lap on the same set of softs made up for the error, moving him into fourth but 0.251s off top spot. He fared better than teammate Oscar Piastri, however, who ended the session 12th and 0.84s off the pace.