Leclerc tops Mexico FP2 as Verstappen and Lawson clash and Hamilton loses power

Charles Leclerc topped Friday's second practice session (FP2) for the Mexico City Grand Prix with a 1m17.827s, completing a Friday sweep after leading FP1. The hour was messy, though: Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson collided, and Lewis Hamilton lost power and parked his Ferrari. Qualifying is at 15:00 local time on Saturday.

FP2 result: Leclerc on top, Norris and Russell within 0.11s

The timing sheets from formula1.com, Speedcafe and Total Motorsport agree. Lando Norris (McLaren) was second, 0.103s back, and George Russell (Mercedes) third at +0.106s. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was fourth, 0.217s off. Verstappen was fifth (+0.311s), followed by Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Lawson, and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) tenth at +0.642s.

According to Speedcafe, Leclerc set a 1m18.257s on mediums, then a 1m17.966s on softs before the final 1m17.827s. The same outlet said teams were searching for grip on the resurfaced Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with Piastri and Norris both locking up under braking. Autoaction reported that Leclerc had a scary snap and flat-spotted his soft tyres.

Verstappen and Lawson collide; stewards to investigate

During the session Verstappen went to the inside into Turn 12, ran side by side with Lawson and the pair made contact, bringing the session to a halt. Sources differ on which slower car Lawson was following: Speedcafe says an Alpine, formula1.com says Carlos Sainz's Williams. They also differ on where the contact came: Turn 12 (Speedcafe, formula1.com) or Turn 14, as Verstappen rejoined after going beyond the white lines (Autoaction).

Autoaction quoted Lawson's radio message to the effect that Verstappen "literally just drove into me". Verstappen told Sky Sports: "Maybe not very smart behaviour what he was trying to do there." Reports on the damage also differ. Total Motorsport said Verstappen's car needed a new front wing, while Autoaction said the left barge board on his RB22 was damaged and Racing Bulls changed Lawson's front wing. Speedcafe and Autoaction said the stewards would investigate after the session, but no source reports a decision or penalty. Verstappen resumed with just under 40 minutes left and completed 26 laps.

Hamilton loses power; Ferrari-powered teams struggle

Hamilton radioed: "Something's wrong with the power. I lost all power from Turn 13." Ferrari told him to stop as a precaution. Sources place the stop after Turn 3 (Total Motorsport), between Turns 3 and 4 (Speedcafe) or at Turn 4 (Autoaction). A brief virtual safety car followed, and Hamilton finished 11th (+0.685s) after only 13 laps. His best before stopping was a 1m18.741s on mediums, and Speedcafe said he had briefly climbed to third. No source gives a cause; Speedcafe said Ferrari has a problem to investigate overnight.

It was a difficult day for Ferrari customer team Haas too. formula1.com reported that Esteban Ocon had no power steering on his installation laps and returned to the garage. Oliver Bearman lost drive near Turn 2; Speedcafe attributes it to an engine change after smoke at the end of FP1, while Autoaction cites a software issue after a power unit change. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) was stuck in the garage with a technical issue and managed only 12 laps. Audi is not a Ferrari-powered team.

FP3 is at 11:30 local on Saturday and qualifying at 15:00. Mexico is on UTC-6, so that is 17:30 and 21:00 UTC.

Sources

• formula1.com — FP2: Charles Leclerc tops eventful second practice from Lando Norris and George Russell at Mexico City Grand Prix
• Speedcafe — Charles Leclerc tops Mexico FP2 as Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson clash
• Auto Action — Ferrari-powered teams hit trouble in Mexico FP2
• Total Motorsport — F1 Results Today: 2026 Mexico City GP FP2 Practice Times