The second practice session of the GP Mexico, extended by half an hour due to a tyre test by Pirelli, turns into a disaster for Max Verstappen. The engine problems of his RB20 prove to be more persistent than expected. Carlos Sainz records the fastest time, while George Russell incurs significant damage once again.
The second free practice in Mexico is an unusual one: at the request of Pirelli, who wants to test tyre types for 2025, it lasts half an hour longer. Therefore, all drivers follow a specific program with unmarked and also unknown tyres. The five drivers who missed FP1, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu, and Lando Norris, unlike the rest, get half an hour to fill in as they wish and with the tyre type of their choice.
The session is barely a quarter of an hour underway when it is halted again. George Russell, like his friend and Williams driver Alex Albon earlier in the day, crashes hard. “He is physically okay, but it was a crash with a significant impact,” a Mercedes spokesperson explains. The F1 W15 is heavily damaged in turn 8, a new substantial cost. The Brit is unharmed, but his mechanics face another long evening of repair and rebuilding work, just like last week in Austin.
Work is being carried out intensively on Max Verstappen‘s RB20 in Red Bull’s garage. The world champion complains about a ‘strange noise’ from the engine during his first lap. “This is not normal,” he judges. As a precaution, he is called in. Verstappen is not the only one who has a rough start to VT2. Charles Leclerc and Albon are patiently waiting in the garage to see if the repair work on their cars can be completed in time. The Brit crashed his FW46 in VT1, causing significant damage to Oliver Bearman’s Ferrari, who was driving the Monegask’s car in that session.
The clean-up operations last twenty minutes. Leclerc and Verstappen can finally start their training work halfway through. The Monegask is worry-free, but Verstappen quickly returns to the garage. The engine problems turn out to be so serious that continuing to drive is irresponsible: his second training session ends with four unusable laps as a result. After ninety test minutes, Carlos Sainz clocks the best time. For what it’s worth on tires for 2025, of which no one knows what kind they are. Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda complete the top-3.
