Carlos Sainz ended up fastest in FP2 of F1 Mexico GP which was dedicated for Pirelli tyre testing, as Oscar Piastri was P2 and Yuki Tsunoda remained P3.
The elongated 90 minutes FP2 session in F1 Mexico GP saw a lengthy red flag stoppage after a heavy crash for Mercedes’ George Russell after he ran over a kerb and spun around to hit the barrier heavy at Turn 9. He was taken to the medical center after a 30G hit.
There was no major trouble with him as after the barrier repair, things got going for teams and drivers. They undertook a run plan as set by Pirelli which included a performance run and a long run, using the 2025 C4, C5 and C6 compounds.
The fastest time was eventually set by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with a 1m17.699s lap, as he led McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda in the Top 3, where the Japanese driver was third again after doing so in FP1 as well.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc return was delayed with the team completing repairs during the session. He only re-joined after the red flag period for his first run as he was fourth. He couldn’t complete a lap on the medium tyres which he got having missed FP1.
McLaren’s Lando Norris did improve to fifth on the medium tyres to drop Haas’ Kevin Magnussen to sixth. The Brit had a racey moment against Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso at one point, but both kept it clean in the end.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton remained seventh even on the medium tyre as he led Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Visa Cash App RB’s Liam Lawson in the Top 10. The Kiwi had a moment early on in Turn 3 which needed front wing change.
Alonso improved to 11th after his medium tyre run to drop Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg to 12th from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and the lone Williams of Franco Colapinto, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly slotting in 16th and Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu 17th.
The Chinese racer was the last runner to see-through the chequered flag. He reported a potential brake issue and engine cutting, as Gasly had an early Turn 1 moment. Russell, meanwhile, was 18th after setting a lap time before his crash.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was not so lucky after a power unit issue curtailed his session. He tried to head out multiple times but was asked to pit and eventually end his run. Williams’ Alexander Albon did not venture out after his FP1 crash.
Here’s how FP1 of F1 Mexico GP panned out
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