Mexico – Free Practice 2: Verstappen Breaks Down but Sets Fastest Time

The drivers are not in a hurry to hit the track for this second free practice session except for Pierre Gasly, who did not drive in the first session due to an engine change on his Toro Rosso.

Note that the regular drivers have regained their positions, namely Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, and Charles Leclerc, at Force India, McLaren, and Sauber, respectively.

At the start of the session, the teams choose different strategies and approaches. Ferrari and Mercedes decide to test the Super Soft tires on the track, the hardest compound in the range provided by Pirelli.

Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel quickly placed themselves at the top of the timesheet, but that was without considering the Renault of Nico Hülkenberg, fitted with Ultra Soft tires, who snatched the first place beautifully despite some slides at the end of the lap. The tire deteriorates quickly and it’s important not to be too aggressive at the beginning of the lap to preserve some rubber until the finish line.

First run done for Nico. He’s back in for a chat. We’re hearing corner numbers, balance, over and under. Sounds like a normal Friday to us… #RSspirit #MexicoGP #FP2 pic.twitter.com/P2UzBLdPvG

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 26 octobre 2018

In a different strategy, Brendon Hartley temporarily sets the fastest time with his Toro Rosso equipped with Hyper soft tires. The three tire compounds bring significant differences to the timing, which is likely to be a real headache for the leading teams during the qualifications.

The Red Bulls, dominant during FP1, choose to take the track on Ultra Soft tires. Max Verstappen immediately sets the best time with 1:17.437 while his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, ends up in second place more than 0.4 seconds behind the Dutchman.

25 MINS INTO FP2 ⏱️

He was fastest in FP1

And so far @Max33Verstappen is more than a second quicker than anyone else in FP2 🚀#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/TtXrt6I3Se

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 octobre 2018

Sergio Pérez, in front of his home crowd and with Hyper soft tires fitted on his Force India, shakes up the standings by taking third place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.

The Ferraris finally switch to Hyper soft tires, but neither Vettel nor Räikkönen manage to beat Verstappen’s best time on Ultra softs! After 3 laps, the tires on the red cars have a lot of graining, preventing their drivers from improving.

Worse for the Reds, Vettel, in second place, is legitimately overtaken by the Renault of Carlos Sainz, who has been very lively since the morning session. Has the Losange brand, which also supplies Red Bull, found a magic setup to tackle Mexico’s altitude in the best possible way?

Already dominant, the Red Bulls improved their times further with Hyper soft tires, pushing their nearest rivals back by more than a second! 1:16.720 for Verstappen and 1:16.973 for Ricciardo. In 3rd place, Sainz clocked a 1:17.953.

TOP SIX: HALFWAY THROUGH FP2

1 VER
2 RIC +0.153 📸
3 SAI +1.233
4 VET +1.234
5 HUL +1.326
6 HAR +1.341#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/ueXYASfDSi

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 octobre 2018

In the last half hour, teams focus on analyzing long stints. And the least that can be said is that the Hyper Soft tires are not made to last. Except maybe on the Red Bulls, which don’t seem to wear out their tires quickly. But Vettel and Hamilton are struggling with the balance of their cars after 4 laps.

Kimi Räikkönen, on the other hand, chooses to test long stints with the Super softs, the hardest compound of the weekend. His lap times reflect this, but the wear is significantly less than on his teammate’s car.

With 10 minutes to go before the end of the session, a dramatic turn of events as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull comes to a halt at the end of the straight! The Dutchman, who has been dominant since this morning, sees his momentum halted by a power cut or electrical issue in his Red Bull. Reliability is the Austrian team’s weak point, but Verstappen had been spared for some time, unlike his teammate Ricciardo, who has already retired from races seven times this season, a record.

YELLOW FLAG: 8 MINS TO GO IN FP2

Loss of power for @Max33Verstappen and his session is over 😐

He leaves the track in P1 on the timesheets ⏱️#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/1MpIEF3Nl0

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 octobre 2018

The complete ranking of FP2:

🏁 FP2 CLASSIFICATION 🏁

Another dominant display from Red Bull – although late engine trouble did mean Max Verstappen's session came to a premature halt#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/HeF7xjAHnA

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 octobre 2018