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Max Verstappen: You can't win the race with a problem like that.
Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in the second free practice session of the Mexico Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver, who handed his car to Arvid Lindblad in the first practice, said he was unhappy with the long-run pace, and that if the problem isn't solved on Saturday, Sunday will be difficult for him.
Yuki Tsunoda ran both practice sessions and was seventh in the second, almost half a second behind his teammate.
Max Verstappen (1st): "I had to wait before getting behind the wheel today. On a fast lap on the Soft tyres I managed to post a good time. Everything else was rather poor. The fast lap on the Medium didn't come together very well, but the main problem was the long-run pace, and that's our main concern ahead of the race.
There's no issue with the balance, but the car simply has no grip with the track.

Norris: We're having some difficulties on the fast lap.
After the practice sessions in Mexico, Lando Norris was fourth on Friday's timesheet, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was only 12th, after which he admitted he hadn’t done the best lap on the soft tyres with a light fuel load.

Lando Norris (4th): “I watched the first practice from the sidelines, and it was quite interesting. But during that session we couldn't see the on-board camera footage, so there wasn't much information, and generally I was just trying to understand what was happening with the grip and what the car's behaviour felt like — that's about it.
From the second session I can say that overall we're at a decent level, and I was even surprised I managed to find the right speed so quickly, because the very first lap was pretty good, and I was able to improve on the second.

On Friday in Mexico City Jack Crawford sat behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in an official session for the first time. The American driver ran the first practice in place of Lance Stroll and was pleased with his performance.
Fernando Alonso ran both practice sessions in the Aston Martin. The Spanish driver finished the second session in the top ten but urges not to rush to conclusions about the pecking order.
Fernando Alonso (8th): "After the first practice we changed a few things on the car, and in the second session it handled better. Friday practice results don't reflect the real picture, so let's see if we can improve overnight and fight for good positions on Saturday."
Lance Stroll (10th): "I always enjoy coming back to Mexico because they put on great race weekends here. The fans create an incredible energy, and I like the circuit.
In the second practice the car handled fine, so I found a rhythm fairly quickly. We have some things to work on overnight. Let's see what we can achieve on Saturday."
Jack Crawford (19th in the first session): "I really enjoyed my first official practice in Formula 1, and I'm pleased with what we managed to achieve in an hour.
We completed the planned program in full. The priority was to try different things and compare the real car with the base simulator.
I'm happy with the number of laps I completed and how quickly I found pace in the AMR25. I now have a two-month break from racing in Formula 2, so it's nice to be back in the cockpit."

Haas F1 are pleased with Friday's results.
On Friday in Mexico Ryo Hirakawa piloted Oliver Bearman's car in the first practice, while the two regular drivers ran in the second...

Esteban Ocon (13th): "An interesting day. We learned a lot about the car, tried several setup options and were able to improve. Now we need to settle on a strategy and approach qualifying with confidence. The car update allowed us to gain pace, the team did an excellent job improving the car's balance."

Oliver Bearman (17th): "It's always unpleasant to miss the first practice, but the second went smoothly. On long runs the pace is very good, but on short runs we still need to work on speed. The upgrades are working as we expected; we'll analyze everything overnight to take another step in the third practice."

Ryo Hirakawa (16th in the first session): "I want to thank Haas F1 and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing for the opportunity.

Antonelli: One of the best Fridays in a long time
On Friday in Mexico Kimi Antonelli beat his team-mate in the second practice, but in the first George Russell handed the cockpit to reserve driver Frederik Vesti.

Kimi Antonelli (3rd): The day went well. It’s probably one of the best Fridays in a long time. I immediately felt comfortable and quickly found the right rhythm. The first practice was slightly better than the second – between sessions we changed a few things, and not all the ideas worked. In the evening we will analyse everything and decide what to keep and what to change before the third practice.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the weekend. We have good pace on both low and high fuel, and the track condition will improve. It’s important to progress along with it. We will do everything we can.

Pierre Gasly: The grip on the track was very low.
Pierre Gasly missed the first practice session of the Mexico Grand Prix, giving the car to the team's reserve driver Paul Aron. In the second practice the French driver returned to the wheel, posted the slowest time and called the session one of the toughest of the season because the car lacked grip on the track.
Franco Colapinto ran both Friday sessions – he had no particular problems with the A525.
Pierre Gasly (20th): “I missed the first session because Paul took the wheel of my car. He worked well through the program and evaluated the setup, gathering useful information for the team to work with.
I returned to the car for the second session, which turned out to be one of the most difficult of the season. For certain reasons I felt uncomfortable in the car.

Racing Bulls are pleased with Friday's results but regret the lack of pace...

Liam Lawson (11th): "The Mexican circuit is very tricky to drive — high altitude, slippery asphalt, low grip, but our car looked pretty good. The third practice is very important; the track surface should improve before qualifying, so our goal is to find the optimal setup by then."

Isack Hadjar (14th): "I think we made the right call by saving a few new sets of Soft for tomorrow. I hope that will play an important role. We don't have enough downforce; the midfield battle is very tight, and on the flying laps we are a couple of tenths off the nearest rivals. Tonight we'll think about how best to prepare for tomorrow."

Ayumu Iwasa (17th in the first session): "I did a lot of laps, which was important for me and the team. As usual, this track is difficult with traffic, and on top of that I was working with this year's car for the first time, but the team helped me a lot. I'm glad to feel the difference between the car and the simulator — it will help me in my work. I hope I'll have another chance to get back behind the wheel and show a better result."

Pirelli's tyre team summed up the first day of running on the track in Mexico, noting that its surface on Friday did not provide adequate grip, but, as always, over the next two days of the weekend its condition will improve as the asphalt becomes cleaner and a layer of rubber is laid down.

Simone Berra, Pirelli's chief engineer: "Grip at the Mexico track is close to the lowest level of the season. The data from today's sessions largely confirmed what was collected in preparation for this weekend.

The track is rarely used during the year, so the asphalt surface is very dusty, and we expect that on Saturday and Sunday the condition of the surface will improve significantly – this will also be helped by the support races and the fact that no rain is forecast.

The Hard compound was used heavily in the first practice, and on it the initial condition of the surface had the greatest effect, although it still performed fairly effectively.

The performance of the two softer compounds, whose superiority over the Hard showed itself early in the day, was also positively affected by the fact that during the second session the track temperature dropped to 35°C.

But even during the second session some drivers complained on the radio about a lack of grip, which was mainly explained by the state of the asphalt. This is also visible in the lap times: although they improved by roughly a second in the second session, they remain a long way off Carlos Sainz's pole time from last year.

The higher resistance to mechanical wear of this year's tyres is also confirmed by the absence of graining, although this characteristic used to appear consistently at the Mexican track. Controlling degradation is already fairly straightforward, and by race day the situation should only improve.

As for Grand Prix strategy, a one-stop plan currently seems most preferable, in which the main stint should be on the Medium tyres combined with one of the other two remaining compounds.

The choice between Hard and Soft will mainly depend on how much the drivers can stretch the first stint on the yellow‑marked tyres, as well as on the track temperature and, of course, how the track surface improves."

Leclerc: We're behind Red Bull and McLaren, but that's to be expected.
Charles Leclerc posted the second‑fastest time in the second practice of the Mexican Grand Prix. The Monegasque is pleased with the car, but after the session he admitted that rivals from McLaren and Red Bull Racing still have an advantage over Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton missed the first practice, giving the seat to the team's reserve driver Antonio Fuoco, who made his Formula 1 debut in an official session of the race weekend.
Charles Leclerc (2nd): "Friday was positive. But we are still behind Red Bull, especially with a low fuel load, and behind McLaren with a full tank. In that sense there were no surprises, because even before the weekend we expected they would be stronger.
I put together some good laps, so I'm quite happy with the car. We need to keep working, and I hope we can improve a little more.

Red Bull accelerates upgrade efforts while McLaren remains cautious.
"The timing may not be ideal, but that’s part of life."

Red Bull has made its way to Mexico with the only notable car upgrade in the pitlane, while McLaren maintains that its early halt in development was intentional, despite the potential risk of allowing Max Verstappen to gain momentum in the latter part of the season. The RB21 debuted with updated cooling inlets, new front brake ducts, modifications to the floor, and enhancements to edge-wings, signaling that the world champions are still pushing forward. "Changes at this point in the season can seem substantial, but they don't necessarily convert into significant performance gains," stated Red Bull's chief engineer, Paul Monaghan. "These are incremental improvements, but they indicate that we're moving in the right direction.

FIA postpones budget cap decision in light of new breach allegations.
Following Aston Martin's acknowledgment of a minor procedural infraction, speculation is growing in Mexico about another team potentially facing a more significant issue concerning the 2024 budget cap. Aston Martin disclosed a small administrative mistake in its financial documents for 2024, which the FIA has categorized as a "procedural matter." The Silverstone-based team emphasized that they did not exceed their budget and that the problem was simply due to a missing signature.

A minor fine was reportedly issued to cover the FIA’s extra auditing expenses, and no sporting penalty was enforced. However, the more significant concern might lie elsewhere. Paddock rumors indicate that at least one other team—possibly McLaren or Williams—could be under scrutiny, although the FIA has not confirmed which teams might be involved.

Hamilton cautions McLaren as Red Bull intensifies pressure.
"You need to be truly ruthless."

The fragile truce between McLaren and Red Bull is beginning to unravel as the championship race intensifies—and even Lewis Hamilton suggests that the McLaren team needs to toughen up quickly. Following the 'tape-gate' incident in Austin, new Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies pledged to put an end to what he termed "silly games." "On one hand, one could argue that such strategies are part of F1 history," he told The Athletic. "However, it's equally true that we recognize it has become excessive, and we will ensure it doesn't escalate again."

In Mexico, Sky Italia reported a new provocation: "A skull has been drawn on the Papayas' pitstop box. There's a Red Bull mechanic who sketches a national symbol on his team's box at every Grand Prix.

Red Bull postpones driver announcement as Lindblad excels.
"We'll take some time before making a decision."

Red Bull has delayed its highly anticipated driver announcements, even as emerging talent Arvid Lindblad strengthens his case for a 2026 Formula 1 seat. Helmut Marko had indicated that both Red Bull teams would finalize their lineups by the Mexican Grand Prix weekend, but the timeline has now been extended. "We have some answers, but I can't disclose what the driver lineup will be," Marko told Sky Italia. "We'll take a bit of time and then reach a decision. Let's observe what transpires after the race here, and then we'll at least provide some insights."

Nevertheless, the situation is becoming clearer. Lindblad is projected to advance to Racing Bulls in 2026, taking the place of Isack Hadjar, who is reportedly set to join Red Bull Racing.

In second practice in Mexico Max Verstappen set the fastest time, and Yuki Tsunoda was seventh, but Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko is still dissatisfied…

Helmut Marko: “On a fast lap everything is fine, we are competitive, but over the long run things are not smooth, we are clearly behind McLaren, especially on Medium tyres. On Softs the gap is smaller, but we are still behind. This has nothing to do with the temperature. It's a matter of balance and grip. And we need to work on that.
Piastri was clearly behind Norris. It looks like he has problems, but it's only Friday, they can still sort it out. But first we need to solve our own problems, and then we'll look at the competitors.”

At the end of the first Friday practice session, in which Pato O'Ward was replacing Lando Norris, the Mexican felt ill and, after it ended, was sent to the doctors.
Because of the illness, Pato did not speak to reporters and did not attend a meeting with Mexican sponsors. After examining the driver, the doctors gave their recommendations and cleared him to leave.
McLaren has made no statements on the matter; the cause of the illness has not been announced.

In 2025 Sauber is having its best season in a long time – at least that's what the number of points scored by its drivers, the fact that it sits eighth in the Constructors' Championship, and Nico Hülkenberg's July podium at Silverstone suggest.

When Jonathan Wheatley, the head of the Swiss team, was asked whether Sauber is positioned to fight for higher places in the final stage of the championship, since the gap to Aston Martin and Racing Bulls is not that large, he replied:

"The difference in pace between cars from different teams is very small, the intense rivalry will continue until the very end of the season, and in the end the one who makes fewer mistakes will be ahead. But to be honest, I like how we're racing right now. I like this atmosphere of competitiveness, when everyone is producing roughly equal results, and I'm just enjoying how the season is unfolding."

Next year the factory Audi team, which is being created on the basis of Sauber, will make its World Championship debut, and preparations for this event are entering their final stage. According to Wheatley, all work is going according to plan: "Power unit development has already entered its final phase, the engine specialists are working on reliability issues. Work on the chassis is also progressing successfully, and we are already preparing to carry out the first engine start, which should also take place on schedule.

"These are also great news, because for the first time an Audi car built for Formula 1 will be fitted with a new engine, and I can't even put into words how excited I am to see that moment. We face extremely difficult tasks, because in the process of creating the factory Audi team we are implementing large-scale reforms, and this is a very exciting time!"

Wheatley believes it is premature to make forecasts for 2026, when the championship will switch to next-generation machinery: "Serious challenges await us, because it will be Audi's first year in Formula 1. We will introduce both a new chassis and a new power unit at the same time, and that's a very large-scale project.

"And I think it's too early to say what next season's races will be like. First you need to understand what these cars will be capable of on track. And in Formula 1 surprises are always possible, and you can never predict what might happen."

Verstappen was fastest in the second practice.
Second Free Practice

Sunny. Dry. Air +25°C, track +37°C
Full stands on a Friday are rare, but in Mexico it happens. In the first practice nine of the ten teams (except Sauber) put a young driver in one of the cars, while the regulars ran in the second session. The day moved toward evening, the heat eased.
Compared with the first practice the track surface improved – drivers immediately began assessing tyre performance, running series of laps – first on Medium, then on Soft, but the tyres overheated and wore quickly. The Hard tyres, here the C2 compound, proved too hard for the Mexican circuit.
There were incidents. Early in the session Antonelli’s power unit switched to emergency mode, but the problem was resolved without returning to the pits. Norris complained of ignition misfires, but he also stayed on track.
Stroll caught a plastic bag and went off at Turn 12.

After the first practice of the Mexico Grand Prix, Arvid Lindblad, standing in for Max Verstappen, received a formal warning for impeding a rival. The Red Bull Racing driver impeded Pato O’Ward at turn nine. The team also received a warning for informing its driver late about the approaching O’Ward. Since during the practice the GPS data on the cars’ positions on the track were transmitted with a delay, the stewards did not impose more severe penalties.

Bortoleto: My lap doesn't reflect the car's full potential.
Sauber was the only team whose Friday running at the Mexico City Grand Prix featured only their regular race drivers behind the wheel. Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are pleased with the day and expect to qualify around the top ten.
Gabriel Bortoleto (15th): "It was my first time racing in Mexico, and I must say the conditions were nothing like what I'm used to. Grip on the track was very low, especially at the start of the session. Overall it went well. I enjoyed the challenge, and the atmosphere at the circuit was fantastic.
In the second practice I had trouble putting together a lap on the Soft tyres. By the time I managed to do it, the tyres had already passed their peak, so the lap does not reflect the car's full potential.

Brown denies the claim of Verstappen joining Mercedes.
"I believed Max would move to Mercedes after this season."

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has revised his previous belief that Max Verstappen might leave Red Bull, acknowledging that the Dutch driver appears stronger than ever as he quickly narrows the gap in the championship standings. Prior to the summer break, Brown had openly speculated about Verstappen potentially joining Mercedes and even reached out to his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, to discuss his contract. But with Red Bull's resurgence, Brown now recognizes that the four-time world champion has returned to peak form.

"The introduction of new team principal Laurent Mekies has made a significant difference," Brown told De Telegraaf. "At least, that’s what it looks like from afar." Mekies took over from Christian Horner at the Belgian Grand Prix, stepping into a team that seemed fractured at that time.