Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that Ferrari is actively investigating a power-related issue that halted his second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The disruption limited his running time and left him eleventh on the afternoon timesheets.
Practice Progress and Sudden Stoppage
Ferrari entered the weekend as the sole team opting against running a rookie driver during the opening practice session. The squad utilized Hamilton’s car to test various configurations, including fitting an aero rake to the SF-26 before representative lap times were set.
Hamilton secured fourth place in the opening running behind teammate Charles Leclerc and the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and Fred Vesti. However, his progress was cut short during the afternoon when engineers instructed him to pull over due to a mechanical problem.
Reflecting on the setback as reported by Latest F1 News, Hamilton said, “I was feeling really good in the car – it’s just my luck. I think we did a really good job in getting the set-up in a better place. Just really unfortunate.”
The driver noted that he experienced a reduction in power earlier in the lap before being told to stop. Because of the stoppage, he missed crucial long-run simulations, leaving him uncertain about race pace at a circuit where passing is difficult.
Team Assessment and Preparation
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur stated that management would evaluate the damage overnight to determine necessary repairs ahead of the final practice session and qualifying. Despite the reliability setback, Vasseur expressed encouragement regarding the overall speed shown by the team.
Leclerc led both practice sessions, though his advantage shrank significantly in the afternoon as competitors closed the gap on the high-altitude circuit. Vasseur emphasized that the team must concentrate on fine-tuning the setup rather than focusing on the provisional standings.
“The pace was there from this morning. From the first lap the pace was there on the long stint, on one lap, and it means that we have to finetune,” Vasseur explained to Latest F1 News, adding that conditions at the venue remain extreme and competitive margins are exceptionally narrow.
