Mexico City, Mexico, October 31, 2026: Charles Leclerc continued Ferrari’s impressive start to the 2026 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend by topping the second free practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Friday. The Monegasque completed a clean sweep of Friday’s practice sessions, setting the fastest lap of 1:17.827 to finish ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Leclerc’s benchmark was 0.103 seconds quicker than Norris, who finished second in a closely contested session. Russell was just 0.003 seconds further behind in third, with Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli completing the top four.

Max Verstappen finished fifth for Red Bull Racing, 0.311 seconds off Leclerc’s pace, while team-mate Isack Hadjar secured sixth place.

The second practice session provided teams with an important opportunity to gather additional data after a disrupted FP1, in which several regular drivers had limited running due to rookie driver participation. With track conditions continuing to evolve and grip levels relatively low, most drivers headed out early to build mileage and assess their car setups.

Arvid Lindblad initially led the timing screens with a 1:20.275 before Hadjar moved ahead with a 1:19.584 on the medium tyres. Lewis Hamilton then demonstrated Ferrari’s pace by setting a 1:18.741, but Leclerc soon took over at the top with a 1:18.257.

The session also witnessed several incidents and technical problems. Ollie Bearman, who had required an engine change following a smoky end to FP1, briefly pulled off at Turn 2 before returning to the pits. Audi also faced difficulties, with Gabriel Bortoleto remaining in the garage as the team investigated an issue with his car.

There was further drama in the stadium section when Verstappen and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson made contact. The incident damaged the Red Bull’s bargeboard, although Verstappen managed to continue running. Both drivers were subsequently noted for investigation by the stewards.

As teams switched to soft tyres for qualifying simulations, Norris initially struggled to put together a clean lap but eventually went fastest with a 1:18.161. Leclerc was close behind, although he lost time after running over the kerbs before locking up at Turn 1 on his next attempt.

Hamilton also looked competitive, particularly through the middle sector, but his session came to an abrupt end after he reported losing power at Turn 13. The seven-time World Champion was instructed to stop his Ferrari and pulled over between Turns 3 and 4, prompting a Virtual Safety Car while his car was recovered.

Leclerc subsequently found a clean lap to reclaim the top position with a 1:17.966 before improving further to 1:17.827. Norris secured second place, while Russell and Antonelli completed a strong session for Mercedes.

Verstappen managed to recover to fifth despite the damage sustained in his earlier contact with Lawson. Hadjar followed in sixth, ahead of an impressive Lindblad, who finished seventh for Racing Bulls.

Pierre Gasly secured eighth for Alpine, with Lawson ninth and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completing the top 10.

Hamilton finished 11th despite completing only 13 laps, while Fernando Alonso was 12th for Aston Martin. Esteban Ocon and Bearman occupied 13th and 14th positions respectively for Haas.

Nico Hülkenberg was 15th for Audi, ahead of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Williams driver Carlos Sainz. Sergio Pérez finished 18th for Cadillac, followed by Alexander Albon and Lance Stroll.

Valtteri Bottas was 21st for Cadillac, while Bortoleto brought up the rear after managing just 12 laps following the extensive repairs to his Audi.

With approximately 15 minutes remaining, teams shifted their attention towards longer runs to evaluate tyre performance and gather race-relevant data. Most opted for a combination of medium and soft compounds, with the medium tyre showing encouraging durability around the relatively low lateral-load circuit.

Leclerc’s Friday double puts Ferrari in a promising position heading into the remainder of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. However, with Norris, Russell and Verstappen all showing competitive pace, the battle for pole position is expected to be closely contested.

2026 F1 Mexico City Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Results