Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2025: Lando Norris leads McLaren charge under Jeddah lights as Yuki Tsunoda crashes in FP2

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Lando Norris sets the fastest time in FP2, continuing McLaren ’s strong form
  
• Yuki Tsunoda brings out red flags after crashing late in the session
  
• Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen closely trail Norris as Ferrari and Mercedes search for pace
  

McLaren’s Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance in the second practice session at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, clocking the fastest time of the evening, while a late crash by Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda halted proceedings. Under cooler, more representative conditions for the race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit , the session saw Norris tee off with soft tyres to land a blistering 1:28.267– placing McLaren firmly in charge on Saturday so far.

Lando Norris tops FP2 as McLaren shows serious pace in Jeddah


Lando Norris had already left a strong mark with an almost top lap time in Free Practice 1, but it was during FP2 that he emphatically demonstrated his speed. Teammate Oscar Piastri trailed behind close by in second, a mere 0.163s shy, and third was taken by Max Verstappen, forecasting a ferocious qualifying battle on Saturday.


“A good start to the weekend and a productive first day on track, getting comfy in the car and building confidence. We’ve got good data available with plenty of laps recorded, so I'll keep working hard overnight with the team, focusing on the different areas we’ve identified in preparation for tomorrow’s Qualifying,” Lando Norris shared post-session, according to Formula1.com.

The McLaren car looked planted and responsive, with Lando Norris confidently navigating traffic and tricky corners—despite briefly being held up by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. Oscar Piastri also showed strong pace, coming within a thousandth of a second of Norris on mediums before securing P2 on softs.

“A solid Friday. It was a little bit of a trickier day, but I think the pace in the car is good. The competition doesn’t seem far away, so we need to iron out a couple of things to put us in the best place for Qualifying. We’ll review it all tonight and set ourselves up well for tomorrow,” Oscar Piastri said.

Yuki Tsunoda’s crash disrupts final runs


The biggest incident of the session came when Yuki Tsunoda clipped the inside wall at the final corner, snapping his suspension and sending his Racing Bulls RB21 into the barriers. The red flag that followed effectively ended meaningful running, leaving just enough time for practice starts as the session resumed with under two minutes on the clock.

“First, a big apology to my Team today about the accident, I just turned in too much and clipped the wall and inside wheel. I had damage after that and just had no control. It is frustrating because the pace was looking good, so it’s a shame but also a positive, as I was getting the car in a good window,” he said.

Despite the crash, Tsunoda had earlier impressed by running as high as sixth, showing encouraging pace for Red Bull’s sister team. His teammate Max Verstappen, meanwhile, focused on setup experimentation throughout the day and admitted that while one-lap pace had improved, race simulations still required work.

Ferrari and Mercedes hunt for form as midfield tightens

Charles Leclerc was fourth for Scuderia Ferrari, ahead of Williams' Carlos Sainz, and George Russell's Mercedes was placed seventh. Lewis Hamilton had a torrid time, finishing bottom in 13th and experiencing balance problems throughout both practice sessions.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc showed moments of speed but struggled with tire performance and missed the ideal window on his best lap. "We are missing a bit of pace compared to the cars in front of us, but if we put everything together tomorrow, it should be a close Qualifying,” he said. “We all seem to be quite close, with McLaren a step ahead, but we will focus on ourselves and see what we can extract tomorrow.”

George Russell of Mercedes initially led on mediums but fell behind once the switch to softs began, citing issues with setup and tyre warm-up. “It was a slightly messy day from our side,” he shared. “We were probably stronger in FP1 than FP2 ultimately. We didn’t quite take the step forward with the car that we were hoping too, but I don’t think there’s anything that we can’t improve overnight to come back stronger for Qualifying tomorrow.”

His teammate, rookie Kimi Antonelli, had a promising showing despite a close call with the wall.


Further down the order, rookies including Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto faced mixed fortunes. Bortoleto’s session was over before it began due to a fuel leak, while Lance Stroll spun dramatically at Turn 1 but managed to recover. Aston Martin and Haas also ended up in the lower region of the leaderboard, with plenty of work to do before Qualifying.

Also read: Max Verstappen addresses Red Bull exit rumours, hopes Saudi Arabian Grand Prix “will be better” than Bahrain

The third and last practice takes place at 4:30 PM local time, providing the teams one last opportunity to perfect their setups before the critical Qualifying session. If the pace of today is anything to go by, then Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri may be in an ideal position for a front-row battle under the lights of Saudi Arabia.