Verstappen tops Mexico second practice with Piastri off the pace

Max Verstappen topped second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix as championship leader Oscar Piastri's struggles continued as he was only 12th.

Verstappen was one of nine drivers to skip first practice as most teams ran rookie drivers to fulfil regulations, but he was immediately on the pace and beat Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 0.153s.

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli overcame an early issue and was third ahead of Lando Norris, who was 0.251s behind pace-setter Verstappen.

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Piastri was the only title protagonist to run in first practice but his extra track time did not turn into strong pace as he finished 0.840s off the Dutchman.

The result of the session was in line with the last four rounds where Verstappen has made big inroads in the title race to trail Piastri by 40 points with five rounds to go, while Norris is just 14 points behind his McLaren team-mate.

Red Bull are the only team with a performance upgrade this weekend as they brought a revised version of their Monza floor which marked the start of Verstappen's championship charge in early September.

Yuki Tsunoda was seventh which underlined Red Bull's strong pace, as he has regularly finished outside of the top 10 on a Friday this year.

Lewis Hamilton set his best lap on the softs with his second effort but was only three tenths behind Verstappen on a track where Ferrari scored their last victory 12 months ago.

George Russell, who briefly watched first practice from the grandstands, was sixth, with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in eighth and his team-mate Lance Stroll in 10th.

Carlos Sainz continued his strong form in ninth, while his team-mate Alex Albon was the only driver to touch the barrier as he glanced the outside wall at the final corner.

Sky Sports F1's Mexico City GP schedule

Saturday October 25
6.15pm: Mexico City GP Practice Three (session starts at 6.30pm)
9pm: Mexico City GP Qualifying build-up*
10pm: MEXICO CITY GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday October 26
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up*
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1's thrilling title race heads continues at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime