Leclerc Leads Tight Mexico City FP2 for Ferrari

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on top in FP2 for the Mexico City Grand Prix, edging McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.103s at the end of a tightly bunched top order. George Russell was just 0.003s further back in third, while Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen completed the top five within 0.311s of Leclerc’s 1:17.827s benchmark.

Why it matters:

The margin at the front leaves little room for comfort. Ferrari’s single-lap pace is real, but McLaren and Mercedes are close enough to make qualifying especially sensitive to track evolution, tyre preparation and traffic in the final sector.

The details:

• Leclerc led with a 1:17.827s, with Norris +0.103s and Russell +0.106s.
• Antonelli was fourth, 0.217s off, with Verstappen fifth at +0.311s.
• Isack Hadjar was sixth in the other Red Bull, ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri in the top 10.
• Lewis Hamilton was 11th for Ferrari, 0.685s down, but ran only 13 laps.
• Fernando Alonso was 12th, with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman next for Haas.

What's next:

Teams will use final practice to refine race simulations and low-fuel balance before qualifying. With less than a tenth covering the top three, a mistimed final run could decide the Mexico City pole.