Verstappen Tops Leclerc and antonelli in Mexico City Practice
Mexico City – Max Verstappen set the fastest time in second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, clocking a 1m 17.392s to lead Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli. The session, held Friday, saw teams experimenting with tire compounds and race simulations as they prepared for Saturday’s qualifying and race.
Verstappen, already crowned World Champion, initially set his benchmark on soft tires before switching to mediums for a race simulation run. He later returned to the soft compound in the closing minutes, despite reporting a lack of grip – “I have no grip – it is like driving on ice,” he radioed to his team after a slide.
Leclerc followed closely behind, while Antonelli secured third, improving throughout the session despite being slightly out of sync with his teammate’s run plan. McLaren’s Lando Norris was fourth, and Lewis Hamilton placed fifth for Mercedes.
Several drivers,including Leclerc,opted for the medium C4 compound for longer runs,while others,like Oscar Piastri,remained on the softer C5 tires. Piastri finished down in P12, seeking to rebound from recent challenging performances.
The session wasn’t without its issues; Tsunoda requested a floor check on his Red Bull after hitting the kerbs, and Antonelli expressed frustration with traffic, locking up behind Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls.
The final order saw Verstappen ahead of Leclerc and Antonelli, followed by Norris, hamilton, George Russell, Tsunoda, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, and Lance stroll completing the top ten. Liam Lawson was P11, with Piastri in P12.
FP3 is scheduled for 1130 local time Saturday, followed by Qualifying at 1500. Teams will now analyze data collected during practice to refine their setups for the remainder of the weekend.
