Mexico City GP: Verstappen Leads FP2, Ferrari Close Behind
Summary
Max Verstappen led the second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, showcasing Red Bull's new upgrades despite complaining about grip. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc remained a close second, setting up a tight battle. The midfield was highly competitive, with Mercedes and others tightly bunched, while Alpine continued to struggle, highlighting the ongoing intensity of the F1 season's final rounds.
Max Verstappen set the pace in Friday's second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with Red Bull's latest upgrades appearing to pay dividends. Despite topping the charts, Verstappen reported grip issues, suggesting the team still has work to do.
Why it matters:
- With the title race heating up, every session provides crucial insights into the pecking order.
- Red Bull's late-season upgrades on the RB21 demonstrate their commitment to maximizing performance, even as the season nears its end.
- Ferrari's consistent strong performance, keeping them within striking distance of Red Bull, sets the stage for a potentially thrilling qualifying and race.
The details:
- Verstappen clocked a 1m17.392s, just 0.153s faster than Charles Leclerc.
- The Dutchman's car was observed with flow-vis paint, indicating Red Bull was gathering aerodynamic data on its revised floor.
- Despite his leading time, Verstappen radioed: "It’s terrible, I have no grip, it’s like driving on ice" during his long run.
- Leclerc, who led FP1, showed strong form again, improving to 1m17.545s on soft tires.
- Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed with a third-place finish despite a technical issue.
- Lando Norris was P4, but reported "a lot of misfires" in his McLaren.
- Midfield Battle: Lewis Hamilton (P5) and George Russell (P6) led a tight midfield, with positions 7-10 (Tsunoda, Alonso, Sainz, Stroll) separated by only four-tenths of a second.
- Championship leader Oscar Piastri finished 12th, with McLaren focusing on higher-fuel data collection.
The big picture:
- The full field in FP2 provided the first clear indication of weekend performance, following a rookie-heavy FP1.
- Red Bull's aggressive upgrade strategy, even late in the season, highlights the intensity of their championship defense.
- Ferrari's consistent pace across both short and long runs signals their strong potential to challenge Red Bull this weekend.
What's next:
- Teams will analyze the data from FP2 to fine-tune their setups for FP3 and crucial qualifying sessions.
- The grip issues reported by Verstappen will be a key focus for Red Bull engineers to ensure optimal performance for Saturday.
- The tight midfield suggests that qualifying will be fiercely contested, with small margins potentially making a big difference in grid positions.
Original Article :https://f1i.com/news/551776-mexico-city-gp-verstappen-tops-fp2-from-leclerc-norr...