Charles Leclerc tops Mexico FP2 as Lewis Hamilton breaks down and Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson collide
Charles Leclerc fastest again for Ferrari, as Lewis Hamilton stops.
Charles Leclerc continued to set the pace in second practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix as Ferrari Formula 1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton hit trouble.
After dominating the opening practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Leclerc was once again the fastest driver in FP2 as he led McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds.
George Russell outpaced Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli for third place on a weekend the 20-year-old Italian can become champion providing he finishes inside the top-nine, even if Russell wins.
Leclerc continued an encouraging start to the weekend for Ferrari in Mexico, but Hamilton is on the back foot after being forced to stop on track with a suspected power unit problem.
F1 Mexico Grand Prix Friday practice results
Hamilton had looked set to go fastest but reported that “something’s wrong with the power” as he finished his flying lap on soft tyres.
The seven-time world champion was instructed by Ferrari to stop his car and subsequently ground to a halt at Turn 3.
Hamilton missed out on crucial running during the last 30 minutes of FP2 as a result of his issue.
Max Verstappen was three tenths off the pace in fifth place, ahead of Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar.
It proved to be an eventful session for Verstappen, who clashed with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Verstappen and Lawson made contact after running wheel-to-wheel through the stadium section, causing damage to both cars that led to a red flag stoppage.
Both drivers have been summoned to see the F1 stewards after FP2 over the feisty incident.
F1 rookie Arvid Lindblad was seventh-quickest ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Lawson in the other Racing Bulls.
Oscar Piastri completed the top-10 as he struggled to match McLaren team-mate Norris’ pace, with Hamilton ending up down in 11th.
A technical issue heavily disrupted Gabriel Bortoleto's FP2, with the Audi driver only able to take part in the closing stages of the session.
Final practice gets underway at 5:30pm GMT, with qualifying taking place at 9pm.
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