Ferrari’s pursuers close to a tenth
Charles Leclerc ended Mexico FP2 with a 1:17.827, ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell. The Monegasque therefore remained fastest in both Friday practice sessions. Running took place on 30 October in Mexico City, but after midnight in Romania. The result supplies a reference for qualifying preparation after a first day on which Ferrari showed speed while losing running with its second car.
The leading five: close gaps, different running totals
The official classification separates Norris and Russell by just 0.003 seconds. Kimi Antonelli is fourth, with Max Verstappen completing the leading five. The table also records lap counts, showing how much running each driver completed. APEX’s reading is that the closeness of the quick laps makes repeatability in qualifying particularly relevant, without establishing the eventual race starting order. The amount of running and the fastest lap remain different measures of the practice hour.
| Pos | Driver | Time / gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:17.827 | 35 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | +0.103 s | 33 |
| 3 | George Russell | +0.106 s | 31 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | +0.217 s | 33 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | +0.311 s | 26 |
Hamilton’s session ended early
Hamilton stopped on the circuit after reporting a loss of power, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. The classification records 11th place and 13 laps for the Briton. Formula 1’s account also describes a brief red flag after contact between Verstappen and Liam Lawson. Those interruptions belong in any assessment of the programmes: a final position alone does not establish which tests were completed, or how much uninterrupted running a driver managed during the hour.
Mercedes seeks a step forward in balance
Mercedes describes a close long-run picture using soft and medium tyres. Andrew Shovlin identifies a lack of stability on corner entry that develops into understeer towards the apex. The team sees similar issues on quick laps and longer runs. APEX’s reading is that this offers a concrete Saturday question: whether improving balance allows performance to be repeated, rather than producing only an isolated peak. The team’s explanation also gives the next sessions a clearer point of comparison.
FP3 at 19:30, qualifying at 23:00 in Romania
On Saturday 31 October, FP3 begins at 19:30 in Romania, with qualifying at 23:00. The race is scheduled for 22:00 on Sunday 1 November. Neither FP3 nor qualifying had taken place when this article was published. We will compare Friday’s FP2 references with Saturday’s running, while keeping practice times, the qualifying result and the official starting grid as separate stages of the weekend.
