Formula 1 News: Verstappen tops Practice 2 for 2025 Mexico City GP

Defending world champion Max Verstappen (pictured) set the pace in Practice 2 for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, clocking a blistering 1:17.392 in his Red Bull RB21 around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

After a sharp one-lap qualifying simulation, Verstappen and the field pivoted to long-run pace evaluation. With the track still bedding in rubber, even quicker times are anticipated for Saturday’s qualifying. Verstappen has a new floor on his RB21, the team is hoping to give the Dutchman a car fast enough to win the pole.

Verstappen has won here five times, far more than anyone else. He is in a must-win situation almost every weekend if he has any hope of catching the two McLaren drivers. He started off the weekend on the right foot.

The McLarens were on another planet in race pace runs

In a session typically split between one-lap performance and long-run race pace, the bad news for everyone else is that Verstappen was not entirely thrilled. “The McLarens were on another planet on the long runs,” said Charles Leclerc.

“Of course, it was a long wait to get in the car this Friday,” said Verstappen. “Arvid did well today and thanks to him for looking after my car.

“On the Soft tire we managed to get in a good lap, but the rest wasn’t great. The Medium laps weren’t good and the big problem is the long runs where we seem to struggle a lot, which is a concern for the race.

“The balance isn’t off but there is no grip, which is the main concern. As soon as you go on to a sustainable run the car goes hot and we end up nowhere, which is tough. You can be fast on one lap but will not have pace in the race and of course I would prefer to be fast in the race. It’s going to be tough so we need to take a look and analyse.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc slotted into second, just 0.153 seconds adrift in the #16 machine. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was hot on his heels in third, trailing by 0.174 seconds.

Lando Norris managed only fourth in the pace-setting McLaren—0.251 seconds off Verstappen’s benchmark during his quali sim—but the Briton dominated the long stints on soft tires, posting the quickest race simulation times. That’s a promising sign for Sunday’s grand prix.

“I feel like I got up to speed very quickly, actually I was quite surprised,” said Norris. “My first lap was pretty good, and second lap was a good step. I felt like I found the limit quickly. But that was the limit, which is just holding us back a bit. Not that it was a bad day, but normally we’re very good on a Friday, and then everyone catches up on Saturday.”

Lewis Hamilton completed the top five in the #44 Ferrari, 0.300 seconds behind the leader.

Not an Oscar-winning performance?

Piastri, four races without a win, remained calm despite his lowly 12th place finish: “It was an average lap on the Soft tires,” he acknowledged, “so I’m not surprised at the lap time, but overall it felt reasonable.”

“There are plenty of things we’ve found: they’re all small things, but when you put them all together, they’re not. It’s going to be tight, as always.”

The session underscored Red Bull’s edge at this altitude, a venue where they’ve historically thrived. Verstappen appeared dialed in over a single lap, crediting the team’s new floor for the newfound confidence. Grip levels proved trickier across extended runs for most drivers—including the Dutchman—but Norris was the outlier, underscoring McLaren’s race-day potential.

Pole position will be hotly contested between Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, and a surprisingly sharp Antonelli. The wildcard? Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who endured a troubled afternoon and now faces an uphill battle to regroup overnight.

2025 Mexico City GP Practice 2 Results