Lando Norris set the pace in a challenging second practice session for the British Grand Prix, mastering gusty conditions at Silverstone to lead the field.
The McLaren driver’s 1m25.816s lap on the C4 soft tyre gave him a commanding four-tenths advantage over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, underlining McLaren’s strong form heading into the weekend.
But Lewis Hamilton’s third quickest time was another indication the Scuderia is a force to be reckoned with this weekend in Northamptonshire.
The session began with slightly warmer conditions compared to FP1, with ambient temperatures up 2°C around 24°C and track temperatures holding steady at 38°C.
Ferrari carried their morning momentum into FP2, with Hamilton setting a 1m26.592s on the C3 medium tyres in the opening 20 minutes, showcasing competitive pace.
Mercedes’ George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli followed closely, with the latter’s pace impressing, though a snap through Club cost him time.
The session’s complexion changed when teams switched to soft-tyre qualifying simulations. Russell kicked off the flying laps but gained less than a tenth on Hamilton’s benchmark. Antonelli briefly raised eyebrows, posting a time just 0.2s off his teammate despite another moment at Club.
However, it was Norris who stole the show, blitzing the field with his 1m25.816s to claim P1. Leclerc responded with a 1m26.202s but couldn’t break into the 1m25s, reporting a front-left issue that hampered his lap.
Hamilton, after aborting his first soft-tyre run, went again but fell 0.3s short of Norris.
Oscar Piastri secured fourth for McLaren, 0.47s off Norris, narrowly edging out Max Verstappen, who struggled with front-end grip in Silverstone’s high-speed corners.
Antonelli held sixth, followed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, while Russell’s earlier soft-tyre lap left him eighth, just 0.001s ahead of Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar while his teammate Liam Lawson rounded out the top 10.
The session wasn’t without drama. Carlos Sainz suffered a spin at Luffield 15 minutes in, triggered by a 20kph gust.
The Williams driver narrowly avoided contact with Hamilton’s Mercedes and was later investigated for rejoining unsafely in front of Nico Hulkenberg, raising questions about track awareness in the tricky conditions.
Looking ahead, Norris’s commanding performance positions McLaren as a force to watch, while Ferrari and Mercedes remain in the hunt. With gusty winds adding unpredictability, Saturday’s qualifying promises a tight battle as teams fine-tune their setups for Silverstone’s demanding layout.
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