Charles Leclerc surged to the top of the timesheets during a dramatic second free practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Friday, setting the pace for Ferrari ahead of a tightly packed field for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Leclerc clocked a best lap of 1:17.827 on the soft tyre compound, signaling Ferrari’s strong one-lap pace at the high-altitude circuit. However, the Monegasque driver’s session was far from straightforward; he narrowly avoided a major accident in the fast sweeping corners of Sector 2 early in the session, showcasing the precarious nature of the circuit as drivers pushed the limits.
The competition behind him proved to be razor-thin. Lando Norris and George Russell rounded out the top three, both British drivers finishing just a tenth of a second adrift of Leclerc’s benchmark. Kimi Antonelli followed in fourth, with championship leader Max Verstappen rounding out the top five. Verstappen ended the session approximately three-tenths off the pace, hampered by a chaotic afternoon that saw him caught in a flashpoint incident.
Tensions flared between Verstappen and RB’s Liam Lawson, who made wheel-to-wheel contact while battling through the final sector. The collision left debris scattered across the track, forcing race control to deploy a red flag. Both drivers have been summoned to see the stewards to explain the incident, casting a shadow of uncertainty over their preparation for the remainder of the weekend.
The session was also a disappointment for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. After struggling to find momentum throughout the afternoon, his run was abruptly terminated when his Mercedes suffered a significant loss of power. Hamilton was forced to park his car on the start-finish straight, leaving him stranded in 11th place and cutting his data collection short ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.
The final 15 minutes of the session provided a calmer conclusion as teams shifted their focus toward long-run pace and tyre degradation analysis. Despite the earlier interruptions—which included the return of regular drivers following a rookie-heavy opening session—the field remains incredibly close. With only a few tenths of a second separating the front-runners, the battle for pole position appears set to be one of the most competitive of the season.
As the paddock prepares for the final practice session on Saturday, the focus shifts to how quickly teams like Mercedes can address technical reliability concerns, and whether Verstappen and Lawson will face penalties for their run-in. With the margins as thin as they are, every fraction of a second will prove vital as the sport prepares for a high-stakes qualifying session in the heart of Mexico City.
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