Free Practice 2 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was a session full of nuance, the kind where raw lap times tell only half the story. Between McLaren’s superior race pace, Ferrari’s cautious optimism, Verstappen’s quiet consistency, and flashes of veteran drama from Alonso and Hamilton, FP2 offered a glimpse into how tight, and complex, Sunday could become.
McLaren’s race pace sets the standard
The biggest story of the day was McLaren’s race pace advantage. Lando Norris looked commanding from the outset, consistently lapping in the 1:21.5s on softs, while Oscar Piastri trailed by around five-tenths on equivalent runs. Verstappen’s average pace, 1:22.6s on mediums, highlighted just how strong McLaren was over the long haul, even as Red Bull topped the timing sheets.
This wasn’t a one-off difference. Norris looked composed, his car stable through the low-grip sections, while Piastri appeared unsettled and overdriving. His best effort was well off his teammate’s mark, and he finished P12, a result that reflects more than just experimentation. Piastri’s rhythm has faded just as the title fight is tightening, and the data, along with his visible frustration, suggests the pressure is starting to show.
Strategically, McLaren’s decision to run long stints on the soft tires looks significant. On a track where overtaking is historically difficult, the team seems intent on maximizing early pace and track position. Ferrari and Red Bull ran mediums in race trim, but the softer compound provided clearer data on degradation and grip evolution, the kind of insight that can dictate race-day success. McLaren’s edge, however, remains most visible in high-fuel performance, where their balance and traction stability outclassed everyone else.
Ferrari solid but still searching for answers
Ferrari emerged from FP2 in a cautiously optimistic position. Charles Leclerc delivered another smooth session, finishing second behind Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton slotted into fifth and looked increasingly comfortable with the SF-25’s balance. Both drivers praised the car’s progress through the medium-speed corners, and Leclerc described Friday as “a positive one,” though he admitted Ferrari remains “on the back foot” versus Red Bull on low fuel and McLaren on high fuel.
The team’s setup direction shows promise, particularly in how it handled the tricky low-grip conditions that caught out others, but the underlying deficit to McLaren in long-run pace is still apparent. The medium compound simply didn’t come alive in the thin Mexico City air, leaving Ferrari unable to extract the same grip window that benefited McLaren’s soft-tire simulations.
Leclerc’s qualifying pace looked strong enough to threaten the front row, but over a race distance, Ferrari appears to be chasing the leaders rather than challenging them. The engineers are clearly narrowing the gap, yet every gain seems offset by the SF-25’s delicate tire behavior and inconsistent traction out of slower corners.
Hamilton’s adaptation to Ferrari continues to trend upward, though he’s still searching for stability under braking. His feedback echoed Leclerc’s: the car feels sharper but remains unpredictable when pushed to the limit. Despite that, Ferrari seems unified in direction, a notable contrast to earlier this year, and both drivers left Friday believing that a clean qualifying run could still yield a podium fight.
Verstappen steady at the top, but the threat is real
Despite finishing fastest with a 1:17.392, Verstappen’s advantage feels tenuous. His single-lap performance was sharp, but over the longer runs, Red Bull lacked the pace consistency to comfortably hold off the McLarens. On the mediums, Verstappen’s 1:22.6s averages were solid but not dominant. Leclerc’s Ferrari came within a tenth per lap, and Norris’s McLaren was faster outright.
That said, Verstappen remains the most strategically complete driver on the grid, and Mexico rewards racecraft as much as raw speed. The long drag to Turn 1 makes P2 or P3 starts nearly as valuable as pole, and with Red Bull’s superior straight-line performance, Verstappen could still dictate track position early on. Passing remains difficult here, Mexico is increasingly a “Monza with less grip,” meaning qualifying will shape Sunday’s story.
If Norris locks down pole, the McLarens will be in control. But if Verstappen can start alongside them, the door to a comeback title charge remains slightly open. Mathematically, the odds are steep, roughly 40 points over five weekends against a car that’s quicker on balance, but not impossible. Verstappen needs perfection, and perhaps a hint of luck, to keep that dream alive.
The Norris-Piastri divergence grows
The Norris-Piastri dynamic continues to define McLaren’s weekend. Norris looks serene: consistent in rhythm, confident in setup feedback, and able to extract performance from both low and high fuel runs. Piastri, meanwhile, seems to be chasing the car rather than guiding it. The telemetry shows more steering corrections mid-corner and a greater drop-off in sector three, suggesting rear instability and overcompensation.
If this pattern continues into qualifying, the consequences extend beyond this weekend. Piastri’s championship hopes hinge on minimizing intra-team losses, and the current five-tenth deficit isn’t sustainable in a two-horse race. McLaren’s engineers have hinted that setups diverged between the two drivers to test sensitivity under altitude, which might explain some of the delta, but it’s also clear that Norris has adapted more effectively to Mexico’s grip profile.
Kimi Antonelli continues to impress
Antonelli’s P3 finish reinforces his growing reputation as a calm, adaptable rookie. His composure across both sessions has been notable, though his FP2 wasn’t without drama, a close call with Liam Lawson at the hairpin briefly raised eyebrows. The data shows Antonelli closing quickly under braking and losing downforce in Lawson’s dirty air, causing a light lock-up. No damage, no penalty, just the sort of small misjudgment that happens when young drivers explore the limits.
It’s an encouraging sign: Antonelli is learning how to read turbulence and braking distances in traffic, and even small moments like these help refine racecraft at the top level. For Mercedes, his performance this weekend validates their investment in the next generation.
Russell’s moment and Mercedes’ struggles
George Russell had one of the more entertaining afternoons. A pair of sharp snaps at Turn 10 turned into a mini saga online, and a reminder of Mercedes’ balance issues. The W16 struggled to stay planted through the medium-speed transitions, with Russell and Antonelli both fighting rear-end instability.
Turn 10, in particular, caught out several drivers. The combination of low downforce, heat shimmer, and unpredictable crosswinds made it one of the most delicate braking zones on the calendar. Even Piastri had multiple moments there, and Russell’s corrections underscored how knife-edged the handling window remains under these conditions.
Alonso vs. Hamilton: timeless theatre
The most entertaining subplot came courtesy of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, whose rivalry continues to age like fine wine and vinegar. Midway through the session, Hamilton was impeded during a hot lap, prompting Alonso to clap sarcastically, a gesture that instantly reignited nearly two decades of shared history.
It’s remarkable that after nineteen years, since Alonso first saw Hamilton join him as a rookie in 2007, their dynamic still commands as much attention as the front-running times. Alonso’s defiance, Hamilton’s poise, and the thinly veiled competitiveness between them evoke an era of F1 less polished, more personal. They may not always be fighting for wins, but moments like this remind everyone why their presence still elevates the sport.
Other notes and observations
- Albon brushed the wall early in the session but avoided serious damage.
- Ferrari’s and Aston Martin’s fluctuating mid-field pace again underscored their inconsistency under heat and altitude.
- Fans noted how the low-grip surface punished medium tyres, with the soft compound offering far better data for race planning.
- Red Bull, as ever, tends to find extra pace overnight, meaning FP3 will be the true test of balance between the top three teams.
Outlook
By every metric, McLaren holds the advantage heading into Saturday. Their long-run speed looks unmatched, and Norris is delivering at a championship-caliber level. Ferrari sits in striking distance but not quite in control, while Verstappen remains the looming threat, less dominant than usual, but still dangerously capable of turning pressure into performance.
FP2 in Mexico offered a snapshot of where each contender stands:
- McLaren: superior on race pace, slightly vulnerable on one-lap runs.
- Red Bull: steady, strategically sharp, but lacking grip over distance.
- Ferrari: balanced but inconsistent under load.
- Mercedes and Aston Martin: fighting grip, relying on execution over pace.
Between Norris’s precision, Piastri’s nerves, Antonelli’s poise, Russell’s drama, and the ever-theatrical Alonso-Hamilton exchange, FP2 was a reminder that Formula 1 isn’t just about data, it’s about stories, momentum, and moments that will shape the weekend’s outcome.
As it stands, the narrative is clear: McLaren is the car to beat, Verstappen is the driver to fear, and Ferrari is the wildcard capable of disrupting both, at least, for as long as the tires hold.