Charles Leclerc's Mexico GP penalty leaves F1 fans furious for very different reasons

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc demonstrated his speed during practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix, topping the fastest lap times in both sessions. The Monegasque driver clocked a best lap time of 1 minute and 17.827 seconds in the second practice session, outpacing McLaren's world champion Lando Norris by just 0.103 seconds. George Russell from Mercedes secured the third position, followed by his teammate Kimi Antonelli.

The young Antonelli, who was absent on Thursday to recover from a virus, has the chance to become the sport's youngest champion and Italy's first since 1963 if he finishes in the top nine spots. Leclerc's performance on Friday mirrored his success at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Max Verstappen of Red Bull, a five-time winner in Mexico, finished fifth, followed by Isack Hadjar after a collision with Racing Bull's Liam Lawson, which resulted in damaged car bodywork.

Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad came in seventh, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Lawson, and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top ten. Seven-time champion Hamilton was down in 11th place due to a power failure that ended his running mid-session. The practice session started with Gasly leading the way, but he received a caution for a pit lane infringement.

After including 10 rookie reserves in free practice one, all 22 full-time drivers returned to the track with a variety of tire options, as Ferrari selected mediums, Verstappen softs, and others chose hards on the challenging low-grip track. A red flag was raised after 15 minutes to clear debris in the Foro Sol after Verstappen collided with Lawson and damaged his car's bargeboard, causing a Red Bull pit stop for repairs.

The incident was later investigated by the stewards. Ferrari led the early stages of practice with Leclerc on top before McLaren's Norris took command shortly before Hamilton lost power and pulled up on the straight, completing one lap with soft tires. This setback for Hamilton cost him valuable learning time on softs while Leclerc regained the lead ahead of Norris, Russell, and Antonelli before the field switched to heavier fuel loads and medium tires.