Ferrari and Red Bull began to flex their muscles at the Mexican Grand Prix, as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen jostled for supremacy atop the timesheets in FP2.
Vettel got the better of Verstappen by a tenth of a second in qualifying simulations, while Ferrari have often held much in hand ahead of Saturday's action in their recent run of success, suggesting the fight for pole may not be so close.
Lewis Hamilton had topped FP1, but the Mercedes looked ragged over the single lap, and the Briton dropped to fifth in FP2, behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton looked much stronger in his long runs, but the signs from Friday running would suggest he will have to wait to secure a sixth world title.
Alexander Albon crashed at Turn 7 and lost the majority of the session, although there was plenty of reason for Honda optimism, with Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly both slotting into the top seven for Toro Rosso to back up Verstappen's P2.