Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari breaks down in crucial Mexico GP practice session

Lewis Hamilton saw his Ferrari grind to a halt halfway through the second practice session of the Mexico City GP, losing him crucial track time.

The Brit had been keen to get as many laps in as possible, saying he’s been treating the last five rounds of this season as “like test races” to get the best possible car for next year. However, the Scuderia saw its challenge falter in FP2 when Hamilton’s car stopped.

Lewis Hamilton’s Mexico City GP FP2 session ends early

Hamilton had gone out with a massive aero rake in FP1, looking to collect as much data as possible.

While every other team gave up one of its cars for a mandatory ‘rookie’ session the Scuderia decided the practice time in Mexico was too important.

Hamilton commented in Austin last week that he was suffering from huge understeer, with the team now looking to remedy the issue.

The Brit ended FP1 fourth, 0.7sec off his teammate Charles Leclerc’s 1min 18.128sec, but got nowhere near the pace in FP2.

“Something’s wrong with the power,” said Hamilton, before the team told him to stop the car just after Turn 4. Ferrari later reported they brought him to a halt as a "precaution".

Mexico frequently sees engine issues for F1, with the high altitude meaning less air less air is available for the turbo, often putting it under too much strain and leading to failures. Hamilton ironically highlighted Ferrari's weakness in this department prior to Mexico.

"I think these next five races are like test races," he said.

"Of course, we want to hold on to second in the Constructors’ Championship, but this is a time for us to really look at how the season has gone and continue working on and modifying our processes. I think we’ve already done that, and things have gotten to a better place.

"For me, I’m really focused right now on next year’s car, looking at the good things from this year and making sure we don’t lose them, but instead add to the chassis. And then, of course, in the background, I’m pushing as hard as I can to make sure we come with a power unit that can compete with Mercedes and Red Bull.

"I think the engine is probably number one [priority]. We’ve got reliability, which is good. But if we were matching the power of the others, we would be fighting for the championship this year, which we know.

"So rectifying that and closing the gap is important. I know everyone is working flat out at the factory to try to do that, and I trust them completely in that process. It won’t be easy, but it’s possible.

"And then with the car, you always want more downforce. You’re always looking for a wider window in which the car works better. At the moment, it’s quite narrow. When you get it right, it’s good, but it’s very narrow, and you’re in and out of it."

Meanwhile, there was action elsewhere as Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson got into a shoving match on-track, sending showering bodywork across the circuit, forcing a red flag.