Marco Rossi · F1 Correspondent
Charles Leclerc beat his own best time from first practice in second practice in Mexico City, while a clash between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson briefly halted the session.
Charles Leclerc topped second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday afternoon with a 1:17.827, improving once more on his own benchmark from first practice. The session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which started at 4 p.m. local time, was red-flagged after Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson tangled in the final sequence of corners and left debris on the track.
Ferrari on top, McLaren and Mercedes within tenths
Leclerc's time confirmed that his form from first practice was no fluke: his name sat at the top of the timesheets in both Friday sessions. Behind him it was tight. Lando Norris was just 0.103 seconds back in the McLaren, and George Russell was only 0.106 seconds off the pace in the Mercedes, a mere three thousandths behind Norris. A result that shows how closely bunched the front of the field is in the thin air of Mexico City.
In the teammate battles, Oscar Piastri was 0.539 seconds behind Norris in the second McLaren, a clearer gap than at Mercedes, where Andrea Kimi Antonelli ended up only 0.111 seconds behind Russell. The championship leader, who according to Mercedes had skipped Thursday's media day with a viral illness, was thus back on level terms with his teammate. At Red Bull, Max Verstappen was fifth, with teammate Isack Hadjar 0.099 seconds back in sixth.
Red flag after contact between Verstappen and Lawson
The interruption was caused by an incident in the final sector: Verstappen and Liam Lawson went wheel to wheel between Turn 12 and Turn 14 in the stadium section, and the duel ended with contact at Turn 14. Verstappen lost part of his floor, while Lawson damaged his front wing and floor. Bodywork ended up on the track and forced race control to show the red flag before practice could resume.
The stewards then summoned both Verstappen and Lawson over the incident at Turn 14, and a decision was still pending at the time of writing. Lawson ended up ninth, 0.628 seconds behind Leclerc, while his teammate Arvid Lindblad came out on top in the Racing Bulls duel by 0.066 seconds. For Verstappen, who finished the session fifth, the incident remains an issue to be settled before qualifying, not least with a view to possible consequences from the stewards.
Hamilton loses track time, eyes on the title decision
Lewis Hamilton had to stop his Ferrari around halfway through the session with a technical problem, according to reports most likely with the power unit, and managed only 13 laps. That cost him valuable long-run mileage. He ended up 11th, 0.685 seconds behind teammate Leclerc. On a track whose high altitude places special technical demands on the cars, the missing data could well be felt for the rest of the weekend.
Behind this practice day lies a championship that could be decided in Mexico City: according to pre-weekend reports, a top-nine finish on Sunday would already be enough for Antonelli to clinch the world title early. His solid pace in second practice fits that picture, even if the real decision only comes in the race. Third practice on Saturday morning and qualifying in the afternoon are next, and they will show whether Ferrari can carry its advantage into the decisive hours or whether Mercedes and McLaren find more in qualifying.
