Charles Leclerc dominated Friday practice at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, setting a benchmark of 1:17.827. The session saw chaotic scenes, including a collision between Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, alongside a power failure that forced Lewis Hamilton to stop trackside.
Charles Leclerc Dominates Friday Practice at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Charles Leclerc laid down a marker on Friday for Ferrari by topping both practice sessions at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. After leading the opening hour with a 1m 18.128s lap in a session featuring ten rookie drivers, the Monegasque driver returned for the afternoon to lower his pace. He clocked a 1m 17.827s during FP2, fending off a charging field despite surviving a scary opening snap and multiple lock-ups.
While Leclerc enjoyed a clean sweep of the day’s running, his afternoon was far from serene. He voiced frustration over a severe bump on the inside of the circuit during the opening hour before later reporting physical discomfort over team radio. His pace nonetheless kept the Maranello squad at the head of the timesheets, edging out McLaren rival Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds.
A mixed result in FP2 as Lewis stops on track halfway through as a precaution 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/rMi6XP1mO7
For the first time during the weekend, all 22 drivers took to the track in Mexico City. Across the grid, teams managed varying run programmes as rookies completed mandatory sessions, including Leonardo Fornaroli stepping in for McLaren in place of Lando Norris and Gabriel Bortoleto returning to the cockpit for Audi after the team resolved an early technical issue. Fernando Alonso posted an encouraging performance to place Aston Martin inside the top twelve, running within eight tenths of the leading pace.
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson Collide in Turn 12 Tussle
On-track traffic boiled over midway through the second practice session when Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson came together in the Foro Sol stadium section. Verstappen, who sat out the first hour to allow a rookie track time, attempted a late dive down the inside of the Racing Bulls driver under braking for Turn 12. Neither driver backed out through the sequence, leading to contact at the Turn 14 right-hander that scattered debris across the tarmac and forced a red flag stoppage.
The stewards reviewed the incident and determined that both drivers behaved in a manner that was considered unacceptable. Coupled with a warning issued earlier in the day at the team managers meeting regarding overtaking in the final sector, the collision resulted in grid penalties for both drivers ahead of Sunday’s main event.
He just drove straight into me, mate, right into me. Every weekend!
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls driver
Lewis Hamilton Suffers Power Unit Failure and Early Exit
Ferrari’s promising start suffered a major blow when Lewis Hamilton was forced to park his SF-26 trackside due to an abrupt loss of power. The seven-time world champion had reported handling the car comfortably prior to the stoppage, noting that he was feeling really good in the car despite missing out on long-run data.
The mechanical issue struck just under half an hour into FP2. Hamilton transmitted an urgent warning over the team radio before pulling over near the exit of Turn 3.
Something’s wrong with the power, I lost all power from Turn 13
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari driver
The breakdown triggered a brief Virtual Safety Car intervention and left Hamilton stranded in 11th place on the afternoon timesheet.
Charles 🗣️ "It was quite tricky on track today, as the surface was slippery, so we will work on that to find some improvements for tomorrow."Wrapping up a mixed practice day 🇲🇽
Friday Practice Timesheet at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:17.827 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.103 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.106 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.217 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.311 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.410 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.562 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.580 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.628 |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.642 |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.685 |
More on Charles Leclerc
🚨| F1 Mexico GP: Leclerc Leads FP2, Edging Out McLaren and Mercedes:— Charles Leclerc showcased a strong performance at the Mexico Grand Prix, topping the second practice session despite Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton's early retirement. Speaking to media, Leclerc remarked:… pic.twitter.com/JiyplpTlDk