Charles Leclerc continued his strong performance at the “Hermanos Rodriguez“ track, after recording the best time in the second free practice before the Mexican Formula 1 Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver stopped the clocks at 1:17.827 minutes and confirmed his excellent form, after being fastest in the first session.
Second was Briton Lando Norris with McLaren, and third place was taken by George Russell with Mercedes. His teammate Kimi Antonelli set the fourth fastest time, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen with Red Bull remained fifth.
The other Ferrari driver – Lewis Hamilton, who had serious difficulties due to a technical problem with his engine. The Briton managed to do only 13 laps and finished the practice session in 11th place.
Liam Lawson, who is competing with Bulgarian Nikola Tsolov for a place in the Racing Bulls squad next season, qualified ninth.
One of the most tense moments of the session was the slight contact between Verstappen and Lawson. The two did not give way to each other on the track, and as a result their cars received minor damage. A red flag had to be raised to clear the debris from the track.
The incident drew additional attention to Lawson, who is still not guaranteed a place in Formula 1 for next season. The New Zealander is under pressure due to competition from Nikola Tsolov and any such situation could have an impact on the Racing Bulls' driver selection.
The third and final free practice session before qualifying is coming up, in which the drivers will have a final opportunity to set up their cars for the battle for starting positions.