FP2: Russell leads Piastri and Hamilton in...

FP2: Russell leads Piastri and Hamilton in tight second practice at… Full Details 👇

In Friday’s second free practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Mercedes driver George Russell topped the time sheets, leading McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and teammate Lewis Hamilton. The session, held under significantly improved weather conditions compared to FP1, provided teams and drivers with a valuable opportunity to fine-tune their setups on a dry track.

The earlier FP1 session had been marked by mixed weather, but when FP2 started at 1600 local time, the skies were clearer and the track was dry. However, gusts of wind blowing in from the nearby sand dunes added an extra layer of complexity to the already tight and twisty circuit, challenging drivers throughout the session.

These challenging conditions contributed to a series of incidents early on, including a “strange” lock-up from Russell, which led him to run off into the gravel at Turn 8. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, who is under increasing pressure to improve his performances, also suffered a moment of trouble when he locked up at Turn 1. Max Verstappen, the local favorite and defending world champion, experienced a snap of oversteer at the high-speed Turn 7, though he managed to avoid any serious incidents.

The first major drama of the session came when Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg lost control of his updated car while braking for Turn 1. The rear of his car stepped out, sending him sliding across the gravel and into the wall. The impact caused significant damage to the right-hand side of his car and brought out the red flags, halting the session while the marshals cleared the track.

Once the session resumed, with around 40 minutes remaining, most of the drivers switched to Pirelli’s soft tires to simulate qualifying runs. Verstappen briefly took the lead with a time of 1:10.986, only to be outdone by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who set a 1:10.961. However, it was Piastri who set the pace, despite recovering from rib injuries, with a time of 1:10.763.

Mercedes responded with Russell clocking in at 1:10.702 to go fastest, while Hamilton slotted into third, just 0.111 seconds behind his teammate. The top five drivers – Russell, Piastri, Hamilton, Norris, and Verstappen – were separated by only 0.284 seconds, highlighting how competitive the session was.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin was the best of the rest, finishing sixth, albeit over half a second slower than Verstappen. Yuki Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri and Kevin Magnussen in the Haas followed closely behind, both enjoying productive sessions compared to their teammates. Hulkenberg’s crash limited his participation, while Tsunoda managed to extract strong performance from his car.

Charles Leclerc ended the session in ninth place as Ferrari endured a tough afternoon. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, was hampered by gearbox issues that limited him to just seven laps, leaving him down in 19th position. Meanwhile, Williams driver Alex Albon rounded out the top 10 with another solid performance, ahead of Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin.

Sergio Perez, who has been under scrutiny due to his recent form, finished 12th, six-tenths off Verstappen’s pace. Daniel Ricciardo followed in 13th, continuing his adaptation process in the Red Bull-affiliated AlphaTauri. Pierre Gasly led Alpine’s efforts in 14th, though the focus for the team may have already shifted to the future, with Jack Doohan confirmed as his teammate for 2025.

Logan Sargeant placed his Williams in 15th, while Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, who took over from Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman after FP1, ended the session 16th and 18th, respectively, sandwiching Esteban Ocon’s Alpine in 17th. Bottas’s time in the cockpit was part of Sauber’s plan to gather more data after their FP1 experiment.

The session ended with the stewards reviewing two incidents of potentially unsafe releases in the pit lane. Replays showed Zhou being released into the path of Ricciardo, while a separate near-miss occurred between Albon and Stroll as they exited their pit boxes.

As the teams poured over the data gathered from the session, the focus shifted to Saturday’s final practice session, set for 1130 local time. It will be the last opportunity for adjustments before the all-important qualifying session at 1500, where drivers will aim to secure their positions for Sunday’s race.