Second Free Practice Report & Results 2025 Mexico F1 Grand Prix

Event: Mexico Grand Prix
Track: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Weather: dry  26°C
Tarmac: dry  41°C
Humidity : 26%
Wind : 1.8 m/s East
Pressure: 781 mb

A Fiery Afternoon in the Thin Air of Mexico City

The second practice session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez delivered all the drama, altitude headaches, and grip complaints you could possibly pack into 60 minutes of Formula 1 running. At the end of it all, Max Verstappen stamped his authority with a confident 1:17.392, leaving Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ rookie Kimi Antonelli trailing close behind.

It wasn’t just a statement lap from the Dutchman—it was a reminder that Mexico remains his playground. After sitting out FP1, Verstappen jumped straight into the RB21 and wasted no time reclaiming control of the timesheets, showing that the newly introduced Red Bull floor upgrade is doing exactly what it was designed to do: bring back stability and speed.

Ferrari Fights Back and Antonelli Shines Again

Leclerc once again found himself in the thick of the fight, finishing just 0.153 seconds off Verstappen’s time. Ferrari’s SF-25B looked balanced and fast through the twisty middle sector, while Leclerc seemed to relish the car’s predictability under braking—something that’s been missing in recent races.

But the real story for Ferrari might be happening in silver. Kimi Antonelli, still just 19, produced another eye-catching performance for Mercedes, ending the session third and only 0.021s behind Leclerc. His confidence is growing with every session, even as he navigates the high-altitude challenges of Mexico for the first time. His team radio told the story: calm, focused, and fast.

Four Teams, One Title Picture

Behind the leading trio, Lando Norris slotted into fourth, just 0.077s behind Antonelli, making it four different teams in the top four. The margins were razor-thin—less than three-tenths separated Verstappen, Leclerc, Antonelli, and Norris.

The outlier, however, was Norris’ teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri. The Australian could only manage 12th, almost nine-tenths adrift. On a day when the top seven were locked within a heartbeat, Piastri’s McLaren looked lost in the hot, slippery conditions. His long-run pace on softs wasn’t much better, with Norris consistently a few tenths quicker on similar fuel loads.

As Jolyon Palmer pointed out on F1TV: “They’re clearly trying something different, but it’s clear Norris is the more comfortable of the two right now.”

Red Bull Finds Its Feet—But Grip Remains an Issue

Despite his headline time, Verstappen’s afternoon wasn’t entirely smooth sailing. “It’s terrible, I have no grip – it’s like driving on ice!” came the fiery radio message from the world champion after a wild slide through the esses. The track temperature had dropped nearly ten degrees from the earlier session, and the medium tyres simply refused to cooperate.

Still, when the softs went on, Verstappen looked untouchable over a single lap. The RB21 rotated beautifully through the stadium section, and even if his long-run grip wasn’t perfect, the pace was there. Five wins already at this circuit tell you everything about his comfort level here.

Aston Martin and Williams Find Encouragement

Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both cracked the top ten, suggesting Aston Martin’s upgrades might finally be yielding some results. Alonso’s P5 lap was half a second off Verstappen’s time, but the Spaniard sounded upbeat over team radio—no small victory for a team that’s been drifting in recent rounds.

For Williams, there were mixed emotions. Carlos Sainz, who carries a five-place grid penalty from Austin, put in a solid performance to finish ninth, showing encouraging pace on both compounds. Teammate Alex Albon had a rougher time, clouting the wall at the final corner and ruining what could have been a strong lap.

The Grip Gamble: Long Runs and Tyre Talk

As the session wound down, teams turned their attention to race simulations. The focus shifted from raw speed to tyre degradation, with many drivers running soft tyres for 12-lap stints. The C5 compound—the softest Pirelli offers—appears to be holding up surprisingly well in the thin air, making it a potential Sunday race tyre.

McLaren ran contrasting programmes, with Norris and Piastri on differing fuel loads. Red Bull reverted to mediums for Verstappen’s long run, exuding quiet confidence. Ferrari split their strategy, gathering data on both compounds.

The result? No clear favourite for race pace—but Verstappen and Leclerc both look like they’ve got more up their sleeves.

Championship Pressure Mounts for Piastri

Piastri’s 12th place finish couldn’t have come at a worse time. With only five races left and a narrow 14-point lead over Norris—and 40 over Verstappen—every detail counts. His frustration was clear after running wide and over the kerbs, spoiling both of his flying laps.

The Australian will spend the night buried in telemetry, comparing his data with Norris’ and looking for answers. He’s been the picture of consistency this season, but Mexico’s high-altitude chaos might just be his biggest challenge yet.

The Stage Is Set for a Qualifying Thriller

Four teams within three-tenths. A Red Bull resurgent. A Ferrari quietly confident. A rookie Mercedes star punching above his weight. And a championship leader on the back foot.

The 2025 Mexican Grand Prix weekend is shaping up beautifully. FP3 begins at 11:30 local time (17:30 UTC), followed by qualifying at 15:00 (21:00 UTC).

Expect fireworks, traffic nightmares, and at least one surprise on the front row.

Because in Mexico City—nothing ever goes according to plan. 🇲🇽

FP2 Times Table 2025 Mexico F1 GP

The quickest lap time of last years FP2 was a 1:17,699 min driven by Carlos Sainz with the Ferrari SF-24.

The quickest sector times during FP2 were set by:

• Sector 1: 27.453 sec. by Lando Norris with the McLaren MLC39.
• Sector 2: 29.896 sec. by Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB21.
• Sector 3: 20.001 sec. by Charles Leclerc with the Ferrari SF-25.

✅ Check out our 2025 Mexico Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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