Mexico FP2 retrospective: Leclerc leads as interruptions disrupt practice

Charles Leclerc topped the second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 30 October 2026, completing a Friday sweep for Ferrari. His 1:17.827 left Lando Norris 0.103 seconds behind, while George Russell was just another three thousandths back.

Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, 0.217 seconds off Leclerc, with Max Verstappen fifth at 0.311 seconds. The official results record 35 laps for Leclerc, 33 for Norris and 31 for Russell. Lewis Hamilton completed only 13 laps and finished 11th.

According to Formula1.com’s session report, contact between Verstappen and Liam Lawson scattered debris and brought out a brief red flag. Both subsequently continued their practice programmes. This account does not assign blame; the official incident video is linked in the sources as an external audiovisual resource.

Hamilton’s running ended after he reported a loss of power and was instructed to stop. A Virtual Safety Car followed. Ferrari therefore finished the session with the fastest lap but substantially less running completed by its other driver.

UPDATE FORMULA interpretation: the narrow gaps at the front describe this practice session, rather than proving an equivalent race-pace order. The interruption and Hamilton’s reduced mileage also make the fastest-lap table an incomplete picture of each team’s preparation. This is retrospective coverage of Friday practice, not a live report.