#MexicoCityGP FP2: @GeorgeRussell63 tops session ahead of @yukitsunoda07. #F1

Russell Mexico City GP FP2 – Mercedes’ George Russell topped the time-sheets in FP2 at the Mexico City GP ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda in an extended 90 minute session required by sole-tyre supplier Pirelli for teams to test their 2023 prototype tyres.

Russell ended the session on top with a 1:19.970 benchmark set on the Pirelli C4 softer compound and was 0.828 seconds faster than AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda as both drivers who missed out on opening practice with their respective reserve drivers piloting their cars got the opportunity to run the C2-C4 tyres available for the weekend in the session alongside the mandatory Pirelli 2023 prototype tyre test, which were the softer compounds this time round.

Drivers were required to run identical programmes through the session, with two five-lap stints then going for two eight-toured runs.

Russell was one of only five drivers to run the 2022 tyre compounds during Free Practice 2 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, having missed out in the earlier hour-running for Silver Arrows reserve Nyck De Vries.

Russell was joined by AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda, Alpine F1 Team’s Esteban Ocon and Williams Racing’s Esteban Ocon in using the 2022 rubber through the opening half of the session.

Behind Russell and Tsunoda in the classification, Ocon was a further 1.207 seconds adrift of the leading Mercedes’ benchmark in third, as the trio completed their initial stints on the C3 yellow-branded mediums.

Whilst the rest of the field were running Pirelli’s prototypes for next year, proceedings were interrupted 33 minutes in as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc suffered a heavy shunt at turn seven after losing the rear of his F1-75 racer when turning in, bringing out the red flags.

The Monegasque driver was running Pirelli’s 2023 prototype tyres and on his third tour in his third stint, but hit the barriers at the entry to the esses with the rear of his Ferrari, causing damage to the rear wing and left corner. Leclerc quickly reported to the team that he was ok, but “the car is not”.

The damage to the barriers meant it took 20 minutes before running went back to green, by which point all 20 drivers focused on the Pirelli prototype compounds throughout the rest of FP2.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest effort on the 2023 prototype rubber during his third stint after pitting halfway during his second stint. The seven-time world champion finished 1.539 seconds down on his fellow British-compatriot in the other Mercedes F1 W13 entry.

Hamilton finished narrowly ahead of home favourite Sergio Perez who was just seven-hundredths of a second back in the Red Bull as the Mexican reported struggles with rear-locking in the earlier proceedings. Perez was also seen trying a different amount of lines into the opening corner after noting some bouncing at the end of the main straight.

Newly-crowned two-time World Champion Max Verstappen followed his Red Bull team-mate in sixth place and ahead of the aforementioned Leclerc who’s effort set in the second stint on the prototype compounds was good enough for seventh in the classification.

Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz was eighth whilst Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.

BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Fernando Alonso finished FP2 outside the top ten in 11th and in-front of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel who was 12th and Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon who took 13th in the order.

McLaren F1 Team duo Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo placed 14th and 15th respectively with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll 16th in the classification.

Haas F1 Team pairing Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen ended the day 17th and 18th respectively as Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi and Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu brought up the rear.

Magnussen was limited to just 20 laps through the session after losing the first half-an-hour due to an engine change by his Haas team following the stoppage in FP1 when Pietro Fittipaldi was piloting the VF-22 racer.

Due to the lost time, the Kannapolis-Banbury outfit decided against running the 2022 rubber in the session and focused on the prototype tyres for next year.

Zhou brought out the red flags with less than two minutes on the clock after reporting a hydraulics problem, pulling his C42 to the side of the circuit at Foro Sol after being told by his team to stop the car.

You can see the full Formula 1 Gran Premio De La Ciudad De Mexico 2022 Free Practice 2 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2022/races/1136/mexico/practice-2.html

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