NORRIS LEADS FP2 AT BARCELONA WITH INTERESTING PACE FROM MCLAREN
The second practice session of the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix ended with Lando Norris setting the fastest time for McLaren. George Russell finished just nine thousandths of a second behind, while Oscar Piastri was only a few hundredths further back. Charles Leclerc was fourth, almost four tenths off the pace, but Ferrari showed encouraging signs during its race pace runs with the updated SF-26.
After several teams used rookie drivers during the first practice session, all regular drivers returned to their cars for FP2. Most of the leading teams started on medium tyres, while Max Verstappen and Red Bull chose a different approach by beginning the session on hard tyres. McLaren immediately looked competitive, continuing the strong form it had shown earlier in the day.
The session was interrupted after about fifteen minutes when Liam Lawson stopped near the pit exit with a problem on his Racing Bulls car. The New Zealander reported a gearbox issue over the radio, bringing out a Virtual Safety Car. Track activity was limited for a short period afterward. Valtteri Bottas also experienced technical problems with his Cadillac, although he managed to keep running.
Around the halfway point of the session, teams switched their focus to qualifying simulations. Norris delivered the fastest lap of the evening, narrowly beating Russell by just nine thousandths of a second. Piastri finished third, only a small margin behind the top two. Leclerc was fourth, almost four tenths slower, while Kimi Antonelli was fifth, around six tenths off the pace.
Lewis Hamilton struggled to match the front-runners, finishing more than one second behind Norris. Verstappen was also lower down the order, although Red Bull followed a different testing programme compared to its main rivals, making direct comparisons difficult.
The final twenty minutes were dedicated to race pace simulations. Mercedes and McLaren used different tyre strategies, with Norris and Antonelli running on soft tyres while Russell and Piastri completed their long runs on medium tyres. Ferrari also focused on race pace, with Leclerc using medium tyres from the start of his run. Hamilton joined the race simulation later, with only nine minutes remaining in the session.
Ferrari’s long-run performance looked encouraging, particularly during the opening phase of Leclerc’s stint. The team appeared to be testing different approaches with its two drivers, as Hamilton initially managed his pace before increasing his speed toward the end of the run. Both Mercedes and McLaren also showed strong consistency, with Norris especially impressive despite using the softer compound.
Red Bull appeared to be slightly further behind than its main rivals during the race pace simulations. While McLaren topped the timesheets on a single lap, Mercedes continued to look extremely strong over longer runs and appeared to have the most complete package on Friday. Ferrari also left the session with positive signs, especially regarding tyre management and race pace, while Racing Bulls experienced mixed fortunes with a strong performance from Arvid Lindblad but an early retirement for Lawson.
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