Verstappen takes P1 in FP2 in a Friday clean sweep
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Max Verstappen takes his second P1 of Friday, earning P1 in FP2 after taking first in the first free practice session earlier in the day.
The McLaren of Lando Norris took P2, a tenth of a second behind the three-time world champion, who beat out the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque driver rounding out the top three.
Verstappen set the early pace in FP1, taking P1 ahead of a fantastic effort from Alex Albon in the Williams, with his teammate and home favourite Sergio Perez finishing in third place.
Drivers out quickly to gather long-run data
In an important free practice session around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, teams and drivers gathered long-run data for the rest of the race weekend, giving them an idea of their race pace for Sunday.
The start of FP2 showed the importance of the session, as all the drivers were out on track within the first five minutes. There were different tyres bolted onto different cars as the session began, but as FP2 continued, the softs became the tyre of choice for many.
But as in FP1, Verstappen dominated the field, regardless of what tyres were used. The Dutchman set the fastest laps through the session, rarely letting P1 slip from his grasp.
Perez, at his home race, was unable to keep up with his teammate's pace, which he has struggled to do all season, only finishing FP2 in P5.
Battle behind Verstappen hotting up
Behind the rapid Red Bull of Max Verstappen, the battle for best of the rest is very competitive. As the session concluded, the top 12 drivers were separated by less than six-tenths of a second.
The McLarens once again highlighted their superb pace they have shown in this second half of the season, with Oscar Piastri also showing some bright sparks in FP2, but he was only able to finish in P9.
It was a tough day for Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari, who could not match his teammate's pace, only finishing in P11 as the chequered flag fell.
The Mercedes struggled in the first half of FP2, but the German team showed some promising pace in the second half of the session. However, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished in P7 and P10, respectively, hoping for more pace in qualifying tomorrow.
Hamilton's former teammate Valtteri Bottas sprung the surprise of the session in FP2, taking a fantastic P4 for himself and Alfa Romeo.