Lando Norris Tops Saudi Arabia as McLaren Dom….read more
Lando Norris led a dominant performance by McLaren in second practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, clocking the fastest time ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri. The British driver edged out Piastri by 0.163 seconds, solidifying McLaren’s strong form around the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The session came to an early halt with nine minutes remaining after Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda crashed at the final corner. The Japanese driver clipped the inside wall before slamming into the outside barriers, causing significant damage to the front-right of his car. Despite the crash, Tsunoda ended the session sixth fastest, trailing behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Carlos Sainz.
McLaren’s pace appeared strong throughout the session, with Norris looking particularly comfortable. Piastri also showed good speed, though he was among several drivers to brush the walls, highlighting the tight and tricky nature of the Jeddah street circuit. Norris currently leads the Drivers’ Championship by three points over Piastri, with Max Verstappen a further five points adrift.
Red Bull appeared more competitive in Saudi Arabia compared to their struggles in Bahrain, with Verstappen finishing third in the session, 0.280 seconds behind Norris. While not at the top, Verstappen’s pace suggests Red Bull is still in the mix on a circuit where driver skill can heavily influence lap time.
Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari but was half a second slower than Norris. He comfortably outpaced his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who struggled throughout the session and ended up 13th, more than a second behind the McLaren leader. Hamilton also faced scrutiny from the stewards for allegedly impeding Alex Albon through the first sector, but no further action was taken after an investigation.
Elsewhere, Mercedes had a tough outing with George Russell only managing seventh as the team struggled to extract performance from the soft tyres. Russell now sits 14 points behind Norris in the championship standings. First-practice pacesetter Pierre Gasly couldn’t replicate his earlier form and settled for eighth, while Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon completed the top ten.
There was no shortage of drama during the session. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll had a huge spin, narrowly avoiding the barriers, while Albon came close to a collision with Hamilton in a tense moment on track.
As teams prepare for final practice and qualifying on Saturday, all eyes will be on McLaren to see if they can maintain their advantage. With Norris leading the title race and both McLaren drivers showing strong pace, the team looks poised to continue challenging the traditional front-runners in what’s shaping up to be an unpredictable and thrilling Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. Final practice begins at 2:30pm local time, followed by qualifying at 6:00pm, both live on Sky Sports F1.
