Lando Norris roared back to form in the second free practice session for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, topping the timesheets at the Red Bull Ring with a commanding lap of 1:04.580.
The McLaren driver, returning to the cockpit after sitting out FP1 in favor of development driver Alex Dunne, edged out teammate and championship leader Oscar Piastri by 0.157 seconds.
The session marked Norris’ first outing since his collision with Piastri at the Canadian Grand Prix, but the Briton showed no signs of rust, setting a benchmark that only his teammate and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third, could approach.
McLaren’s dominance was evident as Norris and Piastri locked out the top two spots, with their upgraded MCL39 thriving on the Spielberg circuit.
Verstappen, the best of the rest, trailed by over two-tenths, while Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was a surprise fourth, the only other driver within half a second of Norris’ pace.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also missed FP1, recovered from a brief gravel trap excursion at Turn 6 to take fifth.
Meanwhile, Mercedes’ George Russell, fresh off his Canadian GP victory and fastest in FP1, struggled to sixth, unable to replicate his morning form.
Further back, Yuki Tsunoda put in a solid effort to finish seventh for Red Bull, ahead of Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton endured a torrid session, finishing 10th and nearly a second off the pace. The Ferrari driver, hampered by gearbox issues in FP1, faced further scrutiny after being summoned to the stewards for impeding Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli early in the session.
Meanwhile, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson raised concerns, reporting potential handling issues with his VCARB 02.
The session’s latter half focused on long runs, with Verstappen and Piastri testing the C5 soft compound, gathering crucial data for race strategy.
But McLaren’s strong showing signals their intent to challenge for victory, while rivals like Ferrari and Mercedes face an uphill battle to close the gap.
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