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Charles Leclerc set the pace in second free practice for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, recording a benchmark time of 1:17.827 to edge out McLaren's Lando Norris by 0.103 seconds at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Leclerc's lap on Pirelli's C5 soft tyres completed a sweep of Friday's track running following his earlier benchmark in opening practice. Dry conditions featured ambient temperatures of 23°C and tarmac reaching 43°C, with Leclerc improving his own FP1 benchmark by 0.301 seconds.
Front-runners compress the field
The competitive order compressed significantly as ten rival teams restored their regular drivers after running substitute rookies during the morning session. Ferrari's initial FP1 advantage of 0.659 seconds shrank to barely a tenth in the afternoon. George Russell took third for Mercedes, finishing another 0.003 seconds behind Norris, having quickly found competitive rhythm after Frederik Vesti drove his car in FP1. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli followed in fourth, leaving four different constructors separated by just 0.311 seconds at the front.
Drivers test limits on soft tyres
Leclerc appeared particularly strong through the stadium section, but the Monegasque was not immune to errors on his flying runs, suffering a lock-up at Turn 1 and unsettling the Ferrari over the kerbs on another attempt. Norris experienced similar difficulties, heavily flat-spotting his medium tyres before recovering on the soft compound to finish second. Russell also demonstrated that the soft compound could still deliver pace on a second flying attempt.
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Verstappen and Lawson collision causes red flag
Max Verstappen placed fifth, roughly three tenths behind Leclerc, but his afternoon was disrupted by contact with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson around Turn 14. The collision scattered debris near Turn 15 and prompted race control to suspend the session under red flags. Lawson was furious over team radio, complaining, "He literally just drove into me!" Verstappen returned to the garage with a sizeable section of the RB22's floor missing behind the front wheel, with stewards confirming the incident would be investigated after the session.
Power unit failure halts Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton suffered an early stoppage in the second Ferrari after losing drive through Turn 13. Hamilton radioed the pit wall to report, "Something is wrong with the power, I lost all power through Turn 13," prompting the team to instruct him to stop on track. The resulting halt triggered a Virtual Safety Car and curtailed Hamilton's programme at a high-altitude circuit where cooling and engine performance are already complicated, leaving the precise cause unconfirmed.
Antonelli eyes title as midfield faces setbacks
For Antonelli, fourth position maintained steady preparation ahead of a potentially decisive weekend. Following his victory at the United States Grand Prix, the Italian arrived in Mexico with an opportunity to secure the championship on Sunday with a ninth-place finish or better, which would make him the youngest World Champion in Formula 1 history. Further down the order, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto completed only 12 laps due to technical trouble after sitting out FP1, while Haas dealt with power steering difficulties for Esteban Ocon and a software issue that briefly slowed Oliver Bearman.
Sources: Second Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Mexico City F1 GP.
