Charles Leclerc finished fastest in the second free practice session for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell, confirming Ferrari’s encouraging form from FP1. However, Lewis Hamilton’s afternoon ended prematurely after a technical problem forced him to stop his SF-26 on the circuit.
McLaren and Mercedes also demonstrated competitive pace at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, while Red Bull appeared close to the other three leading teams. The gaps suggest that the competitive order remains finely balanced, making Saturday particularly important for Ferrari as it attempts to maintain the performance shown throughout Friday.
The Scuderia will need to demonstrate the improvement from Friday to Saturday that has often proved elusive, especially at a circuit where the unusual altitude complicates the overall management of the cars.
Mexico GP FP2: Charles Leclerc leads as Ferrari shows strong single-lap pace
The second practice session began with a problem for Oliver Bearman’s Haas. The British driver had already received a replacement power unit after smoke was seen coming from his car at the end of FP1, adding another complication to his Mexican Grand Prix preparations.
During the opening ten minutes, Lewis Hamilton was running on medium tyres, while Oscar Piastri was among the drivers completing the early tyre evaluations. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, made a mistake through the sweeping sequence of corners in the second sector on his first flying lap.
The Monegasque recovered immediately, moving into first place on his next attempt with an advantage of half a second over his Ferrari teammate. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri subsequently closed the gap to the two Ferrari drivers, although they remained approximately six tenths behind Charles Leclerc’s benchmark at that stage.
The early running reinforced the positive indications from Ferrari’s recent SF-26 development work and the technical challenge posed by Mexico. However, with the leading teams following different practice programmes, the initial gaps were not necessarily representative of their ultimate qualifying performance.
Red flag interrupts FP2 as Ferrari switches to soft tyres
The session also featured contact between Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls near the beginning of the third sector. Neither driver was expected to have suffered significant damage from the incident.
A red flag subsequently interrupted the running, while Lance Stroll also reported that his Aston Martin had suffered a failure. Once the session resumed, Andrea Kimi Antonelli moved into second position on medium tyres, approximately three tenths behind Charles Leclerc.
Both Ferrari drivers then switched to fresh soft tyres for their qualifying simulations. Charles Leclerc appeared to be on course for the fastest lap, but traffic encountered in the final sector forced him to abandon his attempt.
Lando Norris subsequently moved to the top of the timesheets using a fresh set of soft tyres, establishing an advantage of one tenth over the Ferrari driver.
Charles Leclerc attempted another flying lap but was again unable to complete it cleanly, this time after locking up at Turn 1. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton improved his time and moved into third position, approximately three tenths behind Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton stops his Ferrari after technical problem in Mexico FP2
Despite improving his lap time, Lewis Hamilton experienced a problem towards the end of the attempt. The issue ultimately forced the seven-time Formula 1 world champion to stop his SF-26 on the circuit between Turns 3 and 4, bringing his second practice session to a premature conclusion.
The stoppage represented a frustrating setback for the British driver, who was unable to complete the remainder of his planned Friday programme. His next opportunity to return to the circuit would therefore come during the third free practice session.
The interruption was particularly unwelcome given the cooling and grip difficulties anticipated by Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix, although the precise cause of Lewis Hamilton’s technical problem was not established.
For Charles Leclerc, however, the qualifying simulations eventually produced the desired result. On his third flying attempt with soft tyres, the Monegasque improved his lap time and reclaimed first position, finishing almost two tenths ahead of Lando Norris and approximately half a second ahead of Oscar Piastri at that stage.
With 25 minutes remaining, Charles Leclerc led the classification from Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson.
Ferrari impresses on race pace as Charles Leclerc completes consistent long run
The closing stages of FP2 saw the leading teams turn their attention towards race simulations, providing a clearer indication of how their cars behaved over longer sequences of laps.
Before those runs began, Lando Norris and Andrea Kimi Antonelli improved their times to move into second and third positions, respectively, approximately one and two tenths behind Charles Leclerc. George Russell subsequently made a significant improvement of his own, climbing into third place with a lap approximately one tenth slower than the leading Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc and Andrea Kimi Antonelli then began their race-pace simulations on medium tyres. McLaren opted to use the soft compound for its runs, with Red Bull making the same choice, while Mercedes divided its programme by sending George Russell out on soft tyres.
Ferrari’s race simulation was encouraging, with Charles Leclerc maintaining consistent lap times throughout his stint. Andrea Kimi Antonelli also completed a competitive run, although his pace was slightly slower than that of the Monegasque.
Overall, the leading teams appeared relatively closely matched on longer runs, allowing for differences in fuel loads and engine modes. Those variables remain important when comparing performance across different practice programmes, particularly when the teams are using different tyre compounds.
The available Formula 1 practice and long-run analysis provides a useful way to explore practice-session pace and compare stint performance as the weekend develops.
Mexico GP FP2 final results: Charles Leclerc ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell
Charles Leclerc ultimately remained fastest when the chequered flag fell, completing a highly encouraging Friday for Ferrari. Lando Norris finished second, with George Russell third and Andrea Kimi Antonelli fourth.
Max Verstappen secured fifth place, followed by Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri, who completed the top ten.
Although Ferrari demonstrated strong performance over both single laps and longer runs, the relatively small gaps between the leading teams suggest that the fight for qualifying remains open. McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull all showed enough competitiveness to remain firmly in contention.
For the Maranello team, Saturday will be the decisive next test. Charles Leclerc has confirmed the SF-26’s promising pace across both Friday sessions, but Ferrari must maintain that form when the track conditions and competitive demands evolve.
Lewis Hamilton’s interrupted session also leaves the Scuderia with technical work to complete before FP3. The remaining running will be particularly important as the team prepares for qualifying, with the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix schedule setting out the sessions still to come.
Ferrari can therefore approach Saturday encouraged by Charles Leclerc’s performance, but the closely matched opposition and the unresolved problem affecting Lewis Hamilton mean the Mexican Grand Prix weekend remains far from decided.
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