FP2: Sainz shines as Russell crashes: Mexico practice drama unfolds
Carlos Sainz tops Mexico practice as Russell crashes.
Carlos Sainz demonstrated impressive speed during the second practice session ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, leading the timesheets. Ferrari's Sainz clocked the fastest time during the Formula 1 practice on Friday, overshadowing an array of dramatic events, including Mercedes' George Russell crashing heavily in the late afternoon after leading the opening session.
Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen experienced an engine problem that kept him sidelined for the second session, failing to set a lap time. Despite his historical success in Mexico, the triple world champion, currently leading McLaren's Lando Norris by 57 points with five rounds remaining, is on a nine-race losing streak. Frustration was evident when Verstappen commented on his car's issue: "This noise is very disturbing, this can't be normal."
Testing the limits with Pirelli’s Prototype Tyres
Pirelli provided each team with a structured run plan, consisting of two fast runs and two longer runs on their C4, C5, and C6 compounds. The additional 30 minutes of practice time allowed drivers who missed FP1 to clock in some laps on standard medium tyres, ensuring they gained representative running time. Sainz's best lap of 1:17.699 seconds, set on 2025 prototype tyres, led the charts, beating McLaren's Oscar Piastri by 0.178 seconds. Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda followed, surprisingly securing third in both sessions.
As the session got underway, Lando Norris was the first to hit the track at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, an early start that signaled McLaren's intent. Williams' Alex Albon missed the second practice after a collision with Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman in the first session led to a significant crash. Albon was vocal in his displeasure, referring to Bearman as an "idiot," though stewards ruled it a racing incident. Ferreira managed to repair the car in time for Charles Leclerc, who finished with the fourth fastest lap. Norris returned for the second stint, finishing fifth on medium tyres.
Meanwhile, local favorite Sergio Perez reported issues with a "stiff" brake pedal, and his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen noted a "weird noise" stemming from an engine problem experienced in FP1. After further complaints about the "disturbing" sound, Verstappen was instructed to return to the pits. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also missed the first session, handing his car to Italian Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli, who will replace Hamilton next season, avoided a repeat of his Monza crash, lapping 12th fastest. Hamilton ended seventh in the later session.
High drama as Russell crashes
Just over ten minutes into FP2, George Russell’s session came to a premature end following a heavy collision with the barriers at Turn 9, which occurred after he took too much kerb into Turn 8. This incident brought out the red flags, halting the session. Russell, who fortunately emerged unscathed, was taken to the medical center as a precaution. Russell reflected on the crash, saying, "Honestly, don't know what happened. Just the car started bouncing on the ground and before I had a chance to catch it, I was already spinning." Despite his earlier misfortune, George Russell recorded the quickest lap in the first session with a time of 1:17.998 seconds.
While the red flag offered Red Bull a window to investigate Verstappen's ongoing issues, the action resumed with 54 minutes remaining. However, Verstappen’s troubles persisted, prompting another return to the pits due to the "same problem."
Albon was another notable absentee from the fray, with Williams still repairing the FW46 from his earlier collision with Ollie Bearman. With 30 minutes left in the session, Sainz topped the timings with a lap of 1m 17.699s on a C4 tyre, leaving Oscar Piastri 0.178s behind in second. Despite the focus on tyre testing, the session occasionally resembled race conditions, highlighted by an intense wheel-to-wheel exchange between Norris and Fernando Alonso, marking Alonso's 400th race this weekend.
As the session wound down, Guanyu Zhou, Norris, Alonso, Hamilton, and Leclerc, all of whom had ceded their seats to rookies during FP1, returned to the medium tyres but failed to topple Sainz’s benchmark.
Final standings and preparation for Saturday
Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top three, with Leclerc and Norris settling for fourth and fifth. Kevin Magnussen secured sixth for Haas, followed by Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Perez, and Liam Lawson. Alonso finished P11, trailed by Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, and Franco Colapinto, the sole Williams representative on track. Red Bull's Sergio Perez's struggles continued, placing 10th and ninth respectively in the sessions.
Pierre Gasly concluded in P16 for Alpine, ahead of Zhou in P17. Russell’s initial rankings placed him 18th, with Verstappen and Albon relegated to the bottom due to limited and non-existent track time, respectively.
With Friday’s action concluded, teams will now dissect their data in preparation for the third practice at 11:30 local time on Saturday.
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