Mexico City GP FP2 Results: Leclerc tops, Verstappen hits Lawson in red-flag incident
Charles Leclerc topped the Mexico City Grand Prix FP2 with a 1m17.827s, 0.103s clear of Lando Norris. George Russell was third, 0.106s back, with Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen rounding the top five. A red flag interrupted the session after Verstappen and Liam Lawson collided in the stadium section, while Lewis Hamilton stopped with a power unit problem. Long-run data showed competitive race pace across the top teams.
Session Summary
Charles Leclerc topped FP2 with a 1m17.827s, 0.103s clear of Lando Norris, with George Russell 0.106s further back .[1] Championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, with Max Verstappen in fifth, three-tenths off the pace .[1]
The session proved eventful, with two major disruptions: Lewis Hamilton was instructed to stop his Ferrari halfway through following a power unit problem ,[1] and Verstappen and Lawson collided, triggering a red flag with debris left on track .[2]
Top Ten Classification
| Position | Driver | Team | Best Lap | Gap to P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1m17.827s | , |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1m17.930s | +0.103s |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1m17.933s | +0.106s |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1m18.044s | +0.217s |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1m18.138s | +0.311s |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1m18.237s | +0.410s |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1m18.389s | +0.562s |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1m18.407s | +0.580s |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1m18.455s | +0.628s |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1m18.469s | +0.642s |
Leclerc tops FP2 with 1m17.827s, Norris second 0.103s back, Russell third 0.106s further back, Antonelli fourth, Verstappen fifth (Formula1.com)
Verstappen and Lawson collided triggering red flag with debris on track (Planet F1)
The Verstappen-Lawson Incident
Verstappen dived inside Lawson on the brakes into Turn 12, and Lawson remained on Verstappen's inside through Turn 13 before the two collided at Turn 14 as Verstappen went off track, over the inside kerb and into Lawson's car .[3] The incident shattered the Red Bull's left-hand-side bargeboard and required a red flag stoppage to clear the debris .[3]
Marshals cleared debris coming out of T13 ,[4] and Verstappen returned to the track in his damaged Red Bull and managed to place it fifth, albeit three tenths off the pace .[3] Both drivers were summoned to see the FIA stewards following Friday practice .[2]
Hamilton and Power Unit Issue
Lewis Hamilton was told to stop his Ferrari halfway through the session following a potential power unit problem ,[1] finishing 11th with a 1m18.512s. This cost the seven-time world champion valuable running time during a critical Friday session.
Race Pace and Long-Run Analysis
Practice pace is indicative, not predictive; single-lap pace and race simulations this early in a weekend rarely correlate directly to qualifying or race performance.
Long-run analysis showed McLaren's Norris leading on soft tyres with an average 1m21.319s over 13 laps, followed by Mercedes' Russell (1m21.442s, 12 laps) and Red Bull's Verstappen (1m21.490s, 9 laps on softs) .[5] Ferrari's Leclerc averaged 1m21.501s on mediums over 14 laps .[5] Verstappen's pace on softs sits in the mix with Norris and Russell, though the impact of his broken bargeboard remains unclear; it might not hurt race pace as much as qualifying pace, with effects potentially snowballing deeper into a stint .[5]
Related reading
- [1]FP2: Leclerc tops eventful second practice from Lando Norris and George Russell at Mexico City Grand Prix (formula1). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [2]F1 results: Mexican Grand Prix 2026 - FP2 (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez) (planetf1). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [3]Verstappen collides with Lawson as Leclerc tops Mexico FP2 (the-race). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [4]Second Free Practice Report & Results 2026 Mexico City F1 GP (f1-fansite). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [5]2026 F1 Mexico City GP | FP2 results (pitdebrief). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [6]What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Mexico GP (autosport). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [7]2026 Mexico City Grand Prix - Practice Report (mclaren-com). Accessed 2026-10-31.
- [8]Lewis Hamilton stops with power failure as Charles Leclerc tops chaotic F1 Mexico City GP FP2 (motorsport-week). Accessed 2026-10-31.