Verstappen shutdown tempers Red Bull's excitement

Red Bull ended Friday at the Mexican Grand Prix over a second quicker than any other team, with Max Verstappen topping both sessions, but the Dutchman grinding to a halt at the end of FP2 tempered some of the joy being felt as Renault showed supreme pace in the high altitude of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The Dutchman's car completely shut down in the final minutes of FP2 to leave Red Bull scratching their heads – possibly mirroring the issue that caused Daniel Ricciardo's DNF in Austin five days ago.

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YELLOW FLAG: 8 MINS TO GO IN FP2

Loss of power for @Max33Verstappen and his session is over ????

He leaves the track in P1 on the timesheets ??#MexicoGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/1MpIEF3Nl0 — Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2018

Red Bull – and Renault – had enjoyed a serene day before then. Verstappen and Ricciardo were 1-2 in both FP1 and FP2, with Renault's Carlos Sainz taking third each time too.

Nico Hulkenberg was fifth quickest in FP2 as Renault followed up a double points finish in Austin with a promising outing here.

Despite those gains, the Renault-powered McLarens stuck true to form – Stoffel Vandoorne 15th-fastest and Fernando Alonso down in 19th in FP2.

It remains to be seen whether the Renault factory team's lofty standing will remain on Saturday when Ferrari and Mercedes will turn their power units up.

Sebastian Vettel has huge ground to make up on the Red Bulls, however, at a race he must win to keep any hope alive of sneaking the drivers' title from Lewis Hamilton, who only needs a seventh-place finish to secure the championship.

The hypersofts were the cause of headaches for Red Bull's rivals, with almost all drivers reporting wretched tyre life.

???? FP2 CLASSIFICATION ????

Another dominant display from Red Bull - although late engine trouble did mean Max Verstappen's session came to a premature halt#MexicoGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/HeF7xjAHnA — Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2018

It will likely see the likes of Red bull, Mercedes and Ferrari attempt to move through Q2 on harder tyres come Saturday – although the equalising impact of high altitudes may make the tactic tricky.

If the big teams are forced to start the grand prix on the pink-walled compound, it could make way for a two-stop strategy becoming prevalent, which could result in a spicy race.

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