Saudi Arabian GP Practice 2: Norris Ahead, Tsunoda Crashes

Lando Norris outpaced his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull crashed, interrupting the session.

The practice was halted with nine minutes remaining when Tsunoda crashed at the final corner, hitting both inside and outside barriers.

Tsunoda ended the session sixth fastest, behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Carlos Sainz of Williams, but his team faces significant repairs to the front-right of his car.

Tsunoda admitted, “I turned in too sharply and brushed the wall with the inside wheel. It caused damage, and I lost control afterwards. My apologies to the team. The car`s speed was promising, so it`s a pity.”

McLaren appears to be the leading team in Jeddah. Norris was 0.163 seconds faster than Piastri and seemed comfortable, although Piastri and others also had close calls with the walls.

Max Verstappen was third, 0.280 seconds behind Norris. Red Bull seems more competitive here than in Bahrain, on a circuit where driver skill can make a bigger impact.

Leclerc was half a second behind, considerably ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished 13th, 1.1 seconds off Norris`s pace.

Hamilton was investigated for potentially impeding Alex Albon of Williams in the fast first sector, but stewards took no further action.

Norris now leads the Drivers` Championship by three points over Piastri, and Verstappen is eight points behind. George Russell is 14 points back.

Russell managed only seventh place as Mercedes struggled to optimize the soft tires. Pierre Gasly, who was fastest in the first practice, was eighth, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Albon.

Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber did not participate in the second practice due to a water leak.

Norris: Expected a Larger Gap

McLaren seems to have an edge, but rivals seem closer in single-lap pace compared to Bahrain.

Norris set his best time on his second lap with soft tires, suggesting there`s more potential in the car.

Norris commented, “A solid first day overall. It`s always hectic here because of the speed and the walls. It was more about improving my driving and confidence than focusing on car adjustments.”

He added, “It`s a good start to the weekend. Productive, building confidence and feeling. We are on the right track. We feel confident currently, but others are close behind. I hoped for a bigger gap. We know we are quick and have a good car, but we`re not completely comfortable yet.”

Red Bull seems better suited to the smooth, fast Jeddah circuit and are McLaren`s main rivals. However, Verstappen believes “there`s still considerable work needed.”

Verstappen explained, “We experimented with different car setups, seeking a new direction. We learned a lot. I`m still not fully satisfied. I focus on my feeling in the car rather than the gaps. Single-lap pace is slightly better, but long runs remain challenging.”

Ferrari Pace Still Uncertain

Ferrari`s true pace remains somewhat unclear. Leclerc was fastest on medium tires but faced traffic, eventually finishing fourth.

Hamilton has work to do, needing to close a six-tenths gap to Leclerc, especially with the top 11 drivers being within a second of each other.

Kimi Antonelli had some moments during the session, and Russell lacked outright pace throughout Friday.

Russell described it as “a messy session. We missed many laps at the end. We are slightly worse off than in FP1, but we can resolve it and improve.”

He continued, “It`s about maximizing tire performance. Kimi and I tested different approaches, which was valuable for learning. We gained some direction from that. I was keen to see long-run pace, but the red flag prevented that. It will be a tight competition for the next best team, and McLaren looks strong again.”

Saudi Arabian GP Practice Two Results