The Formula 1 Friday sessions are over, leaving a lot to unpack. As predicted, the grid seems incredibly close, and the battle is now fully on.
The action in FP2 started early at the pit lane exit, with Lando Norris attempting a practice start and Liam Lawson eager to get running. The McLaren driver had to avoid contact by cutting across the grass, allowing the Red Bull driver to pass.
Following a strong performance from Norris in FP1, the British driver ended up in third place, just 0.017 seconds behind his teammate, Oscar Piastri.
The close battle between Ferrari and McLaren continues from last year. With Norris topping the timesheets at first, it didn’t take long for Charles Leclerc to set the overall benchmark with a 1:16.439, securing P1. In the end, Lewis Hamilton finished in fifth place. The seven-time world champion seemed to struggle with understeer while still adjusting to the new team dynamics and Ferrari power unit.
Carlos Sainz was once again very impressive in his Williams challenger, staying on top in the first half of the session. In the end, he and his teammate, Alex Albon, finished in 11th and 12th place, setting the same time – 0.863 seconds off Leclerc.
Lawson was the first one on soft tyres, preparing for the qualifying session, but setting only 14th fastest time due to a lock-up. The Kiwi driver finished in 17th place, more than half a second and ten places behind Max Verstappen.
The Racing Bulls had an impressive session. Although, they were running a low downforce and no cooling system, which could get to them later in the weekend, as temperatures are set to rise tomorrow, making cooling essential. Yuki Tsunoda finished in fourth place, making him the fastest driver from the Red Bull family, while Isack Hadjar took sixth, once again finishing as the fastest rookie on the grid.
The rest of the rookies were in the bottom half. With Doohan in 14th, Antonelli in 16th, and Bortoleto in 18th. After his crash in FP1, Oliver Bearman completed zero laps in the afternoon session, as his team worked hard to get his car ready for tomorrow.
Teams were not only running qualifying simulations but also long runs on hard tyres. Many drivers struggled with track limits, especially through the apex at Turn 2, which could make tomorrow’s qualifying even more interesting.
With the weather changing and a high chance of rain on Sunday, the setup will be critical. Teams have tomorrow’s FP3 session to tweak the details in preparation for qualifying and, most importantly, the feature race on Sunday.
Top 10
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:16.439
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:16.563
Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:16.580
Yuki Tsunoda (VCARB) – 1:16.784
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:16.859
Isack Hadjar (VCARB) – 1:17.019
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:17.063
Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) – 1:17.161
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 1:17.279
George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:17.282