Lewis Hamilton faced a bitter setback during the second practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after his Ferrari ground to a halt due to a sudden technical issue on track. The seven-year world champion finished 11th in the FP2 timesheets after his car stopped before he could complete any qualifying simulation runs on the soft tyre compound. This unexpected mechanical failure immediately triggered major concerns inside the garage as daylight faded over the Mexican venue.
The untimely engine problem meant the British driver missed out on crucial long-run data collection, which is vital for managing tyre wear during Sunday's grand prix. While his teammate Charles Leclerc topped both practice sessions on Friday to underline the Scuderia's strong potential at high altitude, Hamilton was left completely in the dark regarding the health status of his SF-26 power unit while engineers began investigating the root cause.
"I was feeling really good in the car. I think we did a really good job in getting the set-up in a better place. Just really unfortunate," Hamilton explained, reflecting on how promising the initial balance felt before the stoppage abruptly ruined his afternoon programme. He further noted the severity of the situation given how difficult overtaking typically is at this specific circuit layout.
Adding insult to injury, the 41-year-old veteran already lost valuable preparation time during the opening practice session while conducting aero rake experiments for the team. With half of FP2 also written off, his overall track time for Friday was severely limited, forcing him to rely strictly on raw pace and minimal adjustments heading into the remainder of the race weekend.
Addressing claims from rival camps regarding Ferrari holding a distinct advantage due to turbo sizes in high-altitude conditions, Hamilton firmly rejected the theory. He pointed out that opposing cars from Mercedes and Red Bull still maintain supreme top speed at the end of the straights, proving that pure engine efficiency remains a tight battle across the front-running pack.
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