Lewis Hamilton’s promising start to the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix was abruptly derailed when his Ferrari suffered a catastrophic power unit failure during the second practice session. The seven-time world champion lost all drive down the start-finish straight after just 28 minutes, forcing him to coast to a stop at the exit of Turn 3 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The incident halted a session where Hamilton had been highly competitive, posting the fastest time on the hard compound and briefly sitting within the top five before the mechanical issue forced his retirement.
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Despite the hardware failure, Hamilton expressed confidence in the car’s underlying performance, noting that the team had successfully improved the chassis setup before the stoppage. “I was feeling really good in the car,” Hamilton admitted. “It’s just my luck. We did a really good job in getting the set-up in a better place and yeah, it’s just really unfortunate.” The primary concern for the Scuderia is the lack of long-run data, which is critical for strategy planning in a circuit known for its high altitude and unique tire degradation characteristics.
The setback contrasts sharply with the performance of his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who topped both Friday practice sessions, signaling strong form for the Ferrari duo heading into qualifying. However, Hamilton remains cautious about the weekend ahead, acknowledging the difficulty of overtaking at the Mexican track. “I think we’re really competitive this weekend as a team and then didn’t get to do the long run,” he said. “So I have no idea how, but I know it’s really hard to overtake here.” The team now faces the urgent task of diagnosing the power unit issue to ensure Hamilton can maximize his chances in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Source: Yahoo Sports
