Leclerc leads second practice as Antonelli impresses for Mercedes
Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets in the second free practice session, finishing ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in a competitive session that saw the lead change hands multiple times.
With track temperatures reaching 42°C and air temperatures hovering around 30°C, teams took to the circuit on the C2, C3 and C4 tyre compounds as preparations continued for the remainder of the weekend.
Verstappen was among the first drivers to establish a representative lap time, immediately setting the benchmark with a 1:36.581 after recording purple sectors one and two. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson initially slotted into second with a 1:37.633, while junior teammate Arvid Lindblad followed in third with a 1:38.260.
Leclerc was quick to make his presence felt, moving into second place with a 1:37.052 before the battle at the front began to intensify. Haas’ Oliver Bearman initially found himself sixth, while Antonelli demonstrated encouraging pace, recording a purple second sector as he worked his way towards the front of the field.
Lando Norris also entered the fight, setting a 1:37.261 to move into second ahead of Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, Mercedes’ George Russell soon displaced the McLaren driver, producing a 1:36.788 to take second place from Norris. Antonelli subsequently climbed into third, just 0.329 seconds behind Verstappen, as the leading contenders continued to exchange positions.
The session was not without its challenges, with several drivers falling foul of track limits. Hamilton had a lap time deleted, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Antonelli and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar also encountered difficulties keeping their cars within the track boundaries. Antonelli was particularly unfortunate at Turn 12, where an infringement compromised his running.
As the session progressed, Leclerc continued to find time, improving to a 1:36.381 despite losing time in the second sector before recording a purple third sector. Norris responded with a 1:36.373, briefly taking the lead, while Piastri struggled to find a clean lap and dropped as low as 18th in the early stages.
Russell then moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:36.035, setting up another change at the front. Verstappen responded with a 1:35.934, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:35s and reclaiming the benchmark from the Mercedes driver.
The lead continued to change hands as the session entered its next phase. Hamilton moved into eighth with a cleaner lap, while Norris struggled to improve on his previous effort. Piastri also began to make progress, gradually recovering from his early position as he searched for a more competitive lap time.
Russell subsequently returned to the top with a 1:35.700, but Verstappen was not finished, lowering the benchmark further to a 1:35.480. The Red Bull driver looked increasingly competitive as he continued to extract performance from his car, although the session was far from settled.
Leclerc ultimately delivered the decisive lap, setting a 1:35.291 to move into first place and displace Verstappen. The Ferrari driver’s improvement proved enough to secure the fastest time of the session, with Antonelli producing an impressive effort to finish just 0.042 seconds behind him.
Antonelli’s second-place finish was one of the standout performances of the session, with the Mercedes driver demonstrating consistent speed as he continued to challenge the established frontrunners. Verstappen finished third, 0.189 seconds off Leclerc’s benchmark, while Ferrari teammate Hamilton secured fourth, 0.615 seconds behind the leading Ferrari.
Russell ended the session fifth, 0.744 seconds off the pace, after spending much of the afternoon among the leading contenders. The Mercedes driver was also shown the black-and-white flag after pushing Leclerc off the track, adding another talking point to an otherwise competitive session.
Racing Bulls’ Lawson finished sixth, 1.040 seconds behind Leclerc, ahead of Norris in seventh. The McLaren driver had briefly held the fastest time earlier in the session but was unable to find a further improvement in the closing stages, with several laps compromised by slower sector times and an aborted effort after running off the circuit.
Piastri finished eighth, 1.096 seconds off the pace, after steadily working his way up the order. The Australian showed improvement across his later runs, recording green sectors one and two before eventually moving into the top five temporarily. However, he was unable to match Leclerc’s final benchmark, leaving him outside the top seven.
Hadjar and Bearman completed the top ten, with both drivers finishing 1.120 seconds behind Leclerc. Bearman showed flashes of pace throughout the session, recording green sectors in the opening part of his running before struggling to improve on his later attempts. Hadjar, meanwhile, had a lap time deleted for track limits but recovered to finish inside the top ten.
With Leclerc leading the way, Antonelli emerging as a strong contender for Mercedes and Verstappen remaining firmly in the fight, the second practice session offered an intriguing snapshot of the competitive order. Ferrari also placed Hamilton fourth, giving the team two cars inside the top four, while Mercedes secured fifth with Russell alongside Antonelli’s second-place finish.
McLaren, meanwhile, will be looking to find further performance after Norris and Piastri finished seventh and eighth respectively. Both drivers showed flashes of speed during the session, but neither was able to mount a sustained challenge for the top positions in the final classification.
However, the order should be treated with caution, with teams likely to have been running different fuel loads, tyre strategies and practice programmes. With track temperatures remaining high, tyre management and consistency could prove important factors as the weekend progresses.
Free Practice 2 classification — Top 10
Charles Leclerc — 1:35.291 — Ferrari
Kimi Antonelli — +0.042 — Mercedes
Max Verstappen — +0.189 — Red Bull
Lewis Hamilton — +0.615 — Ferrari
George Russell — +0.744 — Mercedes
Liam Lawson — +1.040 — Racing Bulls
Lando Norris — +1.082 — McLaren
Oscar Piastri — +1.096 — McLaren
Isack Hadjar — +1.120 — Red Bull
Oliver Bearman — +1.120 — Haas
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