Max Verstappen finished FP2 in Mexico with damage to his car and the fifth-fastest time. His longer run gives Red Bull Racing something to build on, as he was close to George Russell. For now, it remains unclear how much faster Verstappen could be with a repaired car. His run also did not include the later phase, when several rivals began to lose pace.

Verstappen made contact with Liam Lawson in FP1, and the incident affected the rest of his session. Technical director Pierre Waché confirmed that the damage had hurt performance and would be repaired in time for FP3. He felt the long run was reasonably solid, but also saw room to work on the balance. Neither driver was satisfied with it yet.

Verstappen finds his pace again after a slower lap

Despite that, Verstappen’s average of 1:21.490 on the soft tyre is reasonably encouraging. Russell recorded 1:21.442 on the same compound, a difference of just 0.048 seconds. Lando Norris was a little bit quicker with 1:21.319. In this sample, the Dutchman therefore averaged less than two tenths behind the fastest driver.

One notable feature of Verstappen’s run is that after an opening lap of 1:21.963, he completed three laps between 1:21.170 and 1:21.260. Those laps were closely grouped. Even after a break and a slower 1:22.020, he returned to his earlier pace with a 1:21.276. His final recorded lap was a 1:21.523.

There it is also important to point out that Verstappen only did seven laps. Russell and Norris did nine and eleven, respectively. Their longer runs provide a clearer picture of what their cars and tyres can do.

Red Bull can be pleased that it remained in the mix despite the damage, but there is not enough evidence to conclude that Verstappen would have had the best race pace without it. The extent of the time lost is unknown, and a longer stint could expose other issues.

Isack Hadjar ranks ahead of Verstappen in the comparison and is close behind Norris. That looks strong for Red Bull, but his average is based on just five laps. His final two laps were also clearly slower than those at the start of his run. The Frenchman's early pace is encouraging, but it remains uncertain whether he can sustain it over a full stint. The gap to Verstappen therefore says little about their relative performance: Hadjar completed a shorter run, while Verstappen was dealing with damage.

Because both Red Bull runs were relatively short, there is no convincing picture of tyre degradation. The initial pace is there, but based on these times, the team has little reason to feel confident about how long it can be maintained.

Norris gives Red Bull a strong benchmark

Norris combines the best average on the softs with a longer run, making him a useful benchmark for Red Bull. His pace does drop over the course of the run, but he manages to improve again at the end, so McLaren is not showing a sustained decline either. The Briton said afterwards that the pace was there, although the car remained difficult to drive. McLaren also reported that its drivers ran with different fuel loads.

Oscar Piastri’s slower average is therefore not enough to diminish Norris’ performance. Mercedes is also in the mix. Over a longer run, Russell records roughly the same average as Verstappen. Kimi Antonelli is almost at the same level on the mediums, although his lap times show a more pronounced shift towards slower times. The difference in tyres makes a direct comparison with Red Bull difficult.

Kimi Antonelli does not need to take too many risks this weekend to clinch the title - Photo: RacePictures

Ferrari remains difficult to assess

Charles Leclerc completed his long run on a used set of medium tyres. Ferrari therefore took a different approach from Verstappen, Russell and Norris, who all completed their longer runs on softs. With all the laps included, Leclerc’s average is slightly quicker than Verstappen’s. Two slower laps have a considerable impact on the result, however. Since he picked up the pace again afterwards, they cannot be attributed entirely to tyre wear without further information.

Ferrari therefore remains a serious rival. Leclerc was the quickest over one lap and is also competitive on a different compound in the long runs. Verstappen himself has already pointed to Mexico’s slow corners, which he says suit Ferrari’s strengths.

Hamilton drove only briefly in FP2 and did not complete any long runs. Red Bull’s task ahead of Saturday is clear: the damage will be repaired, but the balance also needs to improve. Pirelli reported significant degradation on both softer compounds on Friday, along with graining on the left-front tyre. The ability to manage the tyres well could therefore be crucial on Sunday.