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Championship leader Oscar Piastri bounced back strongly in Friday’s second practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, setting the pace for McLaren and setting the stage for a tightly contested qualifying round on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Australian, who holds a narrow three-point lead over teammate Lando Norris in the standings, posted the fastest lap with a time of 1 minute 12.760 seconds. He finished 0.286 seconds ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in third.
Under searing temperatures at the Circuit de Catalunya, Norris followed in fourth with an identical time to Verstappen (1:13.070), ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli.
“It’s been a bit of an up-and-down day, but it ended on a positive note,” said Piastri. “Our rivals look quick. Verstappen’s been strong throughout, Ferrari are in the mix, and Mercedes came alive late on. It’s going to be tight.”
He added that Red Bull’s improved performance was no surprise, especially after their struggles at Monaco, where Norris clinched victory.
“We expected Red Bull to bounce back here—this track suits them better. We tried various setups today; some worked, others didn’t. We’re learning and looking to improve the car.”
Norris, who topped the earlier FP1 session, experimented with his setup in FP2 and acknowledged a slight drop-off in pace.
“I felt more comfortable in the first session. We’re still tweaking things. It’s the small details that make the difference,” he said.
Verstappen dismissed suggestions that new FIA rules limiting front wing flexibility had any significant impact on performance.
“If you look at the timesheets, the effect is minimal — and I wasn’t expecting much change anyway. It was a decent Friday, not the worst we’ve had,” he remarked.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the home favourite and two-time world champion, was seventh, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull junior drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson.
Lewis Hamilton, who impressed with third in FP1, fell back to 11th in FP2 in what he described as an “undrivable” Ferrari. His performance came under scrutiny from former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who suggested Hamilton’s age could now be a factor.
“Even if Lewis is the greatest of all time, ageing affects us all,” said 2016 champion Rosberg on Sky Sports F1. “When you’re 40, it starts to show. A tenth of a second can make a huge difference, especially against top-tier drivers like Charles Leclerc, who’s one of the best qualifiers out there.”
