Ferrari impresses again, McLaren off the pace: Mexican GP FP2 report. Ferrari impressed again in FP2 at the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix.

The second free practice session of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix began with high expectations after a promising morning for Ferrari and an FP1 dominated by rookies. On the track of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the teams aimed to confirm their positive sensations and collect valuable data ahead of qualifying and the race, under still tricky and dusty conditions that made tyre management difficult.

First 30 minutes
In the first thirty minutes, reliability issues struck two cars, those of Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris, who were forced to return to the pits for power unit checks. Charles Leclerc showed consistency and speed, placing himself ahead of Antonelli and Norris once they rejoined the track. Lewis Hamilton finished between the two McLarens, while Oscar Piastri struggled to find the right rhythm. Was this the confirmation of Ferrari’s strong form?

Around the middle of the session, all drivers switched to soft tyres for top-speed simulations. Leclerc continued to dominate with a 1:17.545, while Norris, Carlos Sainz and George Russell alternated in the positions behind him. The session also provided important indications for Red Bull, which continues to evaluate the performance of its main drivers in view of next season.

Last 30 minutes
In the final thirty minutes of FP2 at the Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen snatched the top spot from Leclerc with a 1:17.392, while Antonelli completed the virtual podium of the session, just a few tenths behind the leader. Piastri, meanwhile, struggled to find pace, stopping in twelfth place, eight tenths behind Verstappen, highlighting McLaren’s current difficulties.

The closing phase of the session was dedicated to race pace simulations, with Russell reporting rear-end problems on the medium tyres. Verstappen showed remarkable consistency with times around 1:22.6, while Leclerc and Norris maintained their rhythm in the 1:22s, with the British driver appearing more comfortable on the soft compound after seven consecutive laps on the same pace, compared to his teammate Piastri, who remained constantly one second slower