Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Lando Norris regains top spot as Esteban Ocon returns to the track
In the second Free Practice session, Lando Norris set the fastest time of 1:42.260, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri. Esteban Ocon returned to the track after a water leak and finished seventh, while Yuki Tsunoda remained in twentieth place.
During the second Free Practice session, the grid stayed fairly calm. Despite suspicions of rain, the race took place under the clouds. Esteban Ocon, who had suffered from a water leak in Free Practice 1, was able to return to the track and he was very efficient during this new session. He secured the seventh place while his teammate Pierre Gasly finished fifteenth. The repairs seem to have made his car more efficient.
The first part dominated by Verstappen
This time, several drivers started their trials on soft tires, setting the bar quite high in their lap times. Max Verstappen quickly took the lead, beating his own time from the first session, but the McLarens dominated the rest of the session.
Carlos Sainz briefly surpassed Verstappen’s record, but Oscar Piastri completed a lap in 1:42, the first time below 1:43 for the day, taking the first position. However, Piastri encountered issues by going off track multiple times, potentially damaging his floor, and was unable to overtake Lando Norris who set a better time a few minutes after him. Several drivers expressed their frustration on the radio, notably Alex Albon, hindered by a Ferrari during his fast lap.
A victorious end to the season for McLaren
McLaren cars have been particularly performant with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri holding the first two places during the last 30 minutes. Lando Norris finishes first in this Free Practice session.
Yuki Tsunoda struggled to set a good time this time, remaining in twentieth position for the majority of the race. Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, reported a problem on his car over the radio. It seems that the Racing Bulls driver had an issue with his car as he left the practice session just before the end of the allotted time. He eventually came back for one last lap, but failed to improve his time.
Results of Free Practice 2
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:42.260 | 19 | |
| 2 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:42.475 | +0.215 | 23 |
| 3 | Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:42.477 | +0.217 | 26 |
| 4 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:42.837 | +0.577 | 23 |
| 5 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:43.098 | +0.838 | 25 |
| 6 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:43.290 | +1.030 | 24 |
| 7 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:43.401 | +1.141 | 23 |
| 8 | Magnussen | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:43.485 | +1.225 | 21 |
| 9 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:43.504 | +1.244 | 24 |
| 10 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:43.519 | +1.259 | 25 |
| 11 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:43.532 | +1.272 | 21 |
| 12 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:43.538 | +1.278 | 24 |
| 13 | Bottas | Stake F1 Team | 1:43.675 | +1.415 | 24 |
| 14 | Ricciardo | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:43.823 | +1.563 | 21 |
| 15 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:43.829 | +1.569 | 24 |
| 16 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:43.846 | +1.586 | 21 |
| 17 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:43.892 | +1.632 | 23 |
| 18 | Sargeant | Williams Racing | 1:44.226 | +1.966 | 24 |
| 19 | Guanyu | Stake F1 Team | 1:44.302 | +2.042 | 23 |
| 20 | Tsunoda | Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team | 1:44.348 | +2.088 | 24 |
