LIVE | Second free practice for the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix

The Formula One weekend in Mexico City has now officially begun. It's time for the second free practice for the Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. This second free practice gives an indication of the qualifying and race speed. So it will be interesting to see how the cars perform here. You can follow it all with this live blog from GPblog.

LIVEBLOG | Second free practice for the 2021 Mexican Grand Prix

For Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, this race weekend is crucial in the championship. The Dutchman is favourite to extend his lead over rival Lewis Hamilton. There is also widespread speculation that this is a Red Bull circuit, which will put extra pressure on the Dutchman. This might have an impact on his performance.

Home race for Pérez

For Sergio Pérez this weekend is a homecoming. The Mexican will have tens of thousands of fans behind him during the race, who all hope that Pérez will finish on the podium. So far, a seventh-place is his best result in Mexico. On the other hand, he has finished in the points every time he has finished the race. This year, the 31-year-old Red Bull driver has a seriously competitive car that could certainly give him a chance of a podium finish.

The second free practice session can give us an indication of Verstappen's chances for qualifying and the race. He will spend this hour with his team looking for the best setup to prepare for qualifying.

So far in 2021

The 2021 Formula 1 season is one that will feature as a stand-alone chapter in the sport's history book. Perhaps the best season since the turn of the century, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are battling hard for the title. The Dutchman currently has a 12 point lead over the Brit who has seen it all before. Last time out, the Red Bull driver held off a charging Hamilton in the final stages of the United States Grand Prix. 

Red Bull arrive at the Mexico circuit as favourites to win. That isn't unusual because Mercedes traditionally struggle here anyway, but this year Red Bull's car has the ability to work well on any track. They've proved that around the world in 2021.