Verstappen tops Mexico FP2 as McLaren languishes

Max Verstappen topped second practice 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.

The title leader was similarly half a second off the pace with his first flying lap, though it was a slide through the middle sector that cost him, but didn’t appear to complete a second flying lap on softs before embarking on his long-run simulation, leaving him with an unrepresentative time that dumped him far down the order. McLaren further set itself apart by committing both drivers to long runs on the soft tire rather than the medium compound used by all other front-running teams.

Lewis Hamilton was fifth for Ferrari and 0.3s off top spot. He headed George Russell in the second Mercedes, who was a further 0.137s adrift, and Yuki Tsunoda, who was solidly among the pointy end but still 0.491s slower than his session-topping teammate.

Fernando Alonso was best among the midfielders, the Aston Martin driver 0.546s off the pace. It was enough to beat Williams driver and 2024 Mexico winner Carlos Sainz by 0.001s. Lance Stroll was only 0.016s behind his Aston Martin teammate to complete the top 10.

Liam Lawson was 11th as the fastest Racing Bulls driver despite missing FP1. He headed Piastri, Haas driver Esteban Ocon and teammate Isack Hadjar in the second RB car. Sauber teammates Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg showed none of their FP1 pace on the way to a closely matched 15th and 16th, 0.931s and 0.956s off the pace respectively. Oliver Bearman followed in 17th, the Briton more than 1s off the pace, ahead of Franco Colapinto, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly at the bottom of the time sheet.

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