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George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky

When you're pushing your car to the limit, anything can and will happen. But that's just one of the exciting aspects of motorsports. Let's not forget that pressure creates diamonds. A racing driver will take calculated risks to set a fast lap, overtake an opponent or defend his position. That's why few people can be successful in F1. Juggling with so many tasks while constantly hitting speeds of over 200 mph (321 kph) is not something anyone can handle.
George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky 30 photos
Photo: Daimler AG
George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So LuckyGeorge Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky
The 2022 Mexico City Grand Prix started Friday with the first free practice session of the weekend. Both Ferrari drivers were on top of the game, with Carlos Sainz setting the fastest lap and Charles Leclerc following close behind.

It was amazing to see Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen setting identical lap times, as they finished in third and fourth overall. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were the only two other drivers to go faster than one minute and 21 seconds. But let's have a look at how things went down in FP2.

The Pirelli Prototype Testing would have drivers using tires that will officially enter the stage in 2023. With that in mind, they would get 90 minutes of practice instead of the usual 60-minute session.

But that would also mean that lap times weren't necessarily going to be as impressive as they were in FP1. Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen would be the first driver to go out on the track, as fans in the grandstands were mostly cheering for him and Sergio Perez as well.

George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky
Photo: Daimler AG
Four minutes into the session, Alphatauri's Pierre Gasly was in the lead with a fast lap of 1:22.186. But it would only take a couple of minutes for Carlos Sainz to get into P1, while Leclerc went up to fourth overall.

Struggling with low grip conditions, George Russell improved Sainz's lap time by 0.201 seconds. It's amazing to see him ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship standings, and all evidence suggests that he might be a contender for the world title in 2023.

For the next six minutes of FP2, both Verstappen and Perez got a taste of being the fastest drivers at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. But the rising star of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 was not done yet. With one hour and 10 minutes to go before the end of FP2, he completed a lap in 1:19.970.

And no other driver would come close to that performance for the rest of the session. Yuki Tsunoda was the only one to come within less than a second of that performance. It will be interesting to see how many more points the young Japanese driver can score before the end of this season.

George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky
Photo: Ferrari
Esteban Ocon would walk away with P3, surprisingly just ahead of former World Champion Lewis Hamilton. It's also interesting to note that Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen displayed a similar pace, with the Mexican driver now slightly faster than his teammate.

Disaster struck for Charles Leclerc as he lost control of his Ferrari in the same corner Max Verstappen spun out in FP1. He had only managed to complete 13 laps by that point, and his fastest one was good enough to have him sitting in P7.

Carlos Sainz wasn't as fast as he was in the first part of the day, but that's not necessarily an indicator of how we will perform in today's qualifying session. With Audi coming into F1 in a few years, it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard ends up being their driver of choice. But until then, he will be fighting to add a few more wins to his name.

Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly were two of the most diligent drivers on track during FP2, as each of them completed 36 laps. Their pace was more than two seconds slower than that of George Russell but still good enough to put them in P9 and P10.

George Russell Was the Fastest Driver in FP2, Charles Leclerc Wasn't So Lucky
Photo: Daimler AG
One cool fact that we'd like to point out is that Bottas still holds the record for the highest speed in an F1 Race: 231.4 mph (372.5 kph). And he set that record at the 2016 Mexican Grand Prix when he was still driving the Williams FW38.

Most of the remaining drivers who took part in FP2 managed to go faster than one minute and 23 seconds, except for Kevin Magnussen, Nicholas Latifi, and Zhou Guanyu. The Chinese driver faced a technical issue while going for one more lap, which prompted the stewards to bring out the red flag, effectively putting an end to day one.

The third and final practice session of the weekend is set to start today at noon CDT, while qualifying will begin at 3 PM CDT. We will report back with the results after both sessions.
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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