Charles Leclerc leads Norris and Russell in Mexico City FP2

Charles Leclerc completed a clean sweep of Friday’s practice sessions at the Mexico City Grand Prix, setting the pace in FP2 despite Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton retiring. Leclerc’s best lap of 1:17.827 put him ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Leclerc takes control as the track improves

Leclerc had already topped FP1 with a 1:18.128. In the second session, all three tyre compounds appeared early, and Hamilton initially led on mediums with a 1:18.741. Leclerc soon beat that benchmark by nearly half a second, also on the medium tyre, as lap times fell on the low-grip circuit.

Max Verstappen was quickest on softs early in the hour, but the Red Bull driver was involved in an incident with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in the stadium section. Their close encounter scattered debris onto the track, bringing out a red flag in the 15th minute. The interruption lasted five minutes.

Kimi Antonelli briefly split the Ferrari pair after the restart. Leclerc then looked set to improve on soft tyres, but ran wide in the stadium section and abandoned the lap. Norris took the lead with a 1:18.161, while Leclerc also had a lap compromised by a lock-up at Turn 1.

Hamilton’s session ended after 28 minutes when his car lost power on the main straight and stopped beyond Turn 3. The resulting virtual safety car was brief. As the soft-tyre times came down in the second half, Leclerc posted a 1:17.966 before improving again to his eventual fastest lap.

Norris and Russell complete the top three

Norris finished second, 0.103 seconds behind Leclerc. Russell was third, just 0.003 seconds behind Norris, with Antonelli fourth. Verstappen took fifth, followed by Isack Hadjar in the sister Red Bull.

Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad was seventh, ahead of Pierre Gasly, Lawson and Oscar Piastri, who completed the top 10. Drivers moved onto high-fuel running with 20 minutes remaining, leaving Leclerc’s earlier time unbeaten. For a look back at the event’s previous edition, see our 2025 Mexican Grand Prix guide. Readers can also find more on the Ferrari driver in our report on Leclerc’s social media silence during a difficult 2026 stretch.