Max Verstappen fastest in Mexican Grand Prix FP2 as Oscar Piastri struggles to find pace

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Max Verstappen topped Mexican Grand Prix FP2 timings ahead of Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli, after missing the earlier practice session

It was the first running for all 20 drivers this weekend, after nine rookies climbed into their teams’ respective cockpits as part of the mandatory runs. The biggest surprise came from Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad who outperformed Yuki Tsunoda during the FP1 session.

Kimi Antonelli suffered an immediate issue with his Mercedes as the cars made their way onto the track. The young Italian’s steering wheel told him to “limp home”, although he briefly stayed out before a short stint in the garage as the Brackley-based team investigated the problem.

Grip was at a premium for the last session of the day, with drivers really testing the limits of the track in the opening stages of FP1. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ran wide at Turn 10, with the Mercedes driver losing the rear of his car and having to squeeze through the bollards.

Early soft tyre qualifying runs saw Max Verstappen top the timesheets, ahead of Charles Leclerc who was the fastest in FP1. The McLaren duo struggled to find pace in their first qualifying practice laps and were beaten by Carlos Sainz in the Williams and Yuki Tsunoda.

Later stages of the session saw most teams running longer stints, with most cars running a medium tyre. Russell and Verstappen both shared their displeasure of the medium tyres, with the Dutchman telling Red Bull engineers “it’s terrible, I have no grip – it is like driving on ice”.

Piastri struggled with his McLaren during FP2, finishing the session in twelfth place. The advantage appears to have swung to Lando Norris, who had missed FP1, but was able to finish the evening session in fourth.