Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz set the pace in the second free practice session for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, which was extended to 90 minutes for Pirelli’s tyre testing. The session was marred by a heavy crash for Mercedes’ George Russell, leading to a lengthy red flag period.
The session began with McLaren’s Lando Norris posting the initial fastest lap of 1:19.895 using Pirelli’s prototype C5 compound tyres, designed for the 2025 season. Shortly after, Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez surged ahead with a 1:19.150 lap, also on the new C5s. However, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, on the current 2024 C4 medium tyres, soon took control with a 1:19.030.
Sainz then eclipsed Piastri’s time by over seven-tenths, posting a 1:18.276 lap on the same 2024 C4 tyres. He continued to lower his time before Russell’s incident caused a stoppage. The Mercedes driver lost control after running over the kerbs at Turn 8, causing his car to spin and crash heavily into the barriers. Russell was unharmed but was taken to the medical center for precautionary checks.
Once the session resumed, Sainz continued his charge, switching to the softer 2025 C5 tyres and setting a new benchmark with a lap time of 1:17.699. The remainder of the session saw drivers complete longer, high-fuel runs as part of Pirelli’s tyre test protocols.
Piastri ended the session just 0.178 seconds behind Sainz in second, with Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda close behind in third. Charles Leclerc took fourth place after repairs to his Ferrari, which had been damaged in an FP1 collision involving Oliver Bearman and Alex Albon.
Lando Norris rounded out the top five, followed by Kevin Magnussen in sixth for Haas and Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Valtteri Bottas finished eighth, while Sergio Pérez and Liam Lawson completed the top 10.
Championship leader Max Verstappen faced issues, reporting strange noises from his power unit. Despite attempts by Red Bull to resolve the problem, Verstappen could only manage four laps before retiring from the session and was classified 19th.
Williams’ Alex Albon was unable to take part after his car sustained significant damage in FP1, leaving him out of FP2 entirely.
The full classification for Free Practice 2 is as follows:
| P | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren/Mercedes |
| 3 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB/Honda RBPT |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren/Mercedes |
| 6 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 8 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber/Ferrari |
| 9 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull/Honda RBPT |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | RB/Honda RBPT |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin/Mercedes |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas/Ferrari |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine/Renault |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin/Mercedes |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Williams/Mercedes |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine/Renault |
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber/Ferrari |
| 18 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 19 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Honda RBPT |
