Live coverage: Second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix

Second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix is live at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the session teams treat as the most informative hour of the weekend given the circuit's unique demands.

Why it matters:

Mexico's 2,240-metre altitude thins the air to roughly three-quarters of sea-level density, which changes almost everything — downforce levels, turbo behaviour, brake cooling and how quickly tyres come up to temperature. Teams arrive with simulation data, but the track surface is at its least rubbered-in on Friday, so real running counts for more here than at most venues. This is also the only practice hour run at the same time of day as qualifying, making it the reference point for the rest of the weekend.

The details:

• Teams are balancing low-drag set-ups against the cooling needs of the power unit and brakes.
• Ride height and plank wear are under scrutiny on a bumpy, low-grip surface where the car never settles.
• Long-run work should dominate the second half of the session as engineers chase race-pace degradation numbers.

What's next:

Final practice and qualifying will show whether the read from FP2 holds. The high-altitude compromise tends to compress the field, so expect the order to stay tight.