#F1 #MexicanGP FP2: @Carlossainz55 quickest as @GeorgeRussell63 crashes. #F1 #MexicoCityGP #F1ESTA

Sainz Mexican GP FP2 – Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz topped the time-sheets in the elongated afternoon FP2 session mostly dedicated to testing Pirelli’s 2025 prototype tyres at the Mexican GP ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda who completed the top three. Mercedes’ George Russell crashed hard, whilst championship leader Max Verstappen’s engine troubles continued.

Sainz posted the time-topping benchmark of a 1:17.699 on the C4 prototype compound and was 0.178 seconds quicker than Piastri whilst Tsunoda was a further 0.179 seconds off in third.

The FP2 session was focused on majority running of the prototype C4, C5 and C6 tyres for Pirelli to test for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship season. Teams were given the task to conduct two performance runs and two longer runs. Some had two sets of the same compound, others had two different compounds.

The drivers who missed out on running in the FP1 session in Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu were given an extra set of the C4 yellow-marked mediums for the extra 30 minutes of practice.

In the extended 90-minute session, McLaren’s Norris lead the pack out and quickly registered a 1:19.895 on the prototype 2025 Pirelli C5 soft tyre.

The Briton was demoted back by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Mercedes’ Hamilton and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, before home favourite Sergio Perez jumped in-front with a 1:19.150 using the same rubber as Norris.

McLaren’s Piastri, running the 2024 C4 Pirelli compound, then pipped the Red Bull driver with a 1:19.030, before Sainz rounded out the opening five minutes of proceedings with a 1:18.276 effort on the current C4 tyre that are the mediums for the weekend.

A few moments later, Sainz lowered the benchmark posting a 1:17.809, just before Russell suffered a massive shunt at turn nine, which interrupted the session and Pirelli’s test and brought out a red flag.

The Briton went too far over the inside kerbs of preceding turn eight, which caused his F1 W15 racer to bottom out, and spun off heading towards turn nine – where he crashed sideways into the wall and severely damaged his Silver Arrow.

Russell climbed out of his F1 W15 holding his ribs, with Mercedes later confirming he returned from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’s medical centre without any injuries detected.

The barriers took almost 25 minutes to repair, after which the session went back to green running and Sainz – now on the 2024 C4 rubber – went even faster setting a 1:17.699.

After a short burst of performance running after the red flag, as per Pirelli’s testing requirement, the drivers were then switched to longer runs of 10 laps on each compound they had been given (the same through four runs overall at both 20kgs and 100kgs) for the session.

McLaren’s Piastri slotted in second behind Sainz and Tsunoda only one thousandth off the former in third.

Leclerc did an extra hot-lap whilst the others were being fuelled for the longer tyre tests, as he had to wait for his SF-24 racer to be repaired after it was hit by Williams’ Alexander Albon when being driven by reserve Oliver Bearman in Free Practice 1.

Leclerc therefore did not emerge on track before the red flag and when he did post-restart, the United States Grand Prix winner last time out slotted into 10^th on the 2024 C4 compound before moving into fourth on his second flying lap.

Leclerc improved again using the current-spec C4 but remained fourth overall – where he remained until the end, 0.188 seconds off his session-topping team-mate.

McLaren’s Norris was fifth and ahead of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen who took sixth and Mercedes’ Hamilton who placed seventh overall.

Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas took eighth as home favourite Sergio Perez and RB’s Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso ended the day outside the top ten in 11^th place and in-front of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg who took 12^th and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon who placed 13^th in the classification.

The second Aston Martin AMR24 entry of Lance Stroll finished the day 14^th and ahead of Williams’ sole runner Franco Colapinto who came 15^th in the order, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who was 16^th as Zhou Guanyu put his Sauber 17^th overall.

The aforementioned Russell, Verstappen and Williams’ of Alexander Albon brought up the rear.

Championship leader Verstappen continued to report strange noises from his Honda engine, which hindered his FP1 running and which Red Bull thought it had fixed between the two sessions.

Further adjustments during the red flag did not improve the situation for the Dutchman and was forced to sit out the second half of proceedings, having also suffered a brake problem at the opening corner during the early running.

Albon did not make it out of the Williams garage as the Grove based-outfit was unable to repair his FW46 entry before the end of the session.

The stewards decision in the incident involving Albon and Bearman at turn nine was no further action and was deemed a racing incident.

Sauber reserve Robert Shwartzman (running in-place of Zhou in FP1) was given a five grid-placed penalty for the next race he competes in due to overtaking Tsunoda under double-waved yellows following the incident involving Albon and Bearman. You can read more here: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/shwartzman-hit-with-five-place-grid-penalty-despite-not-being-scheduled-to.6f9blVKArpaHQvFkzm6q9H

You can see the full Formula 1 Gran Premio De La Ciudad De Mexico 2024 Free Practice 2 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2024/races/1248/mexico/practice/2

2024 F1 World Championship Standings

#F1 #MexicanGP FP1: @GeorgeRussell63 quickest as #Bearman and #Albon crash.

#F1 #MexicoCityGP 2024 Preview. #MexicanGP #Formula1