FP2: Russell tops the charts in Zandvoort's intense second practice session
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
George Russell emerged as the pace-setter during Friday’s second free practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton at Zandvoort.
After a weather-impacted FP1, drivers were met with brighter and drier conditions for FP2, starting at 1600 local time. However, gusty winds continued to pose challenges around the tight and twisty circuit.
The varying winds caused several early incidents, including a "strange" lock-up by Russell at Turn 8, a gravel trap visit by the under-pressure Sergio Perez at Turn 1, and a snap for Max Verstappen through the high-speed Turn 7.
Further drama ensued when outgoing Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg lost the rear of his updated car under braking at Turn 1, resulting in a slide across the gravel and a heavy impact with the wall. The collision caused significant damage to the right-hand side of his car and brought out the red flags.
Upon the session's resumption with 40 minutes remaining, many drivers switched to Pirelli’s soft compound tires for qualifying-style laps. Verstappen set an early benchmark with a 1m 10.986s, soon bettered by Lando Norris’s 1m 10.961s.
Piastri, despite his recent injury woes, further lowered the bar to 1m 10.763s. However, Mercedes responded strongly, with Russell clocking 1m 10.702s to take P1 and Hamilton securing P3 – highlighting the top five within just over two-and-a-half tenths of a second.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso claimed sixth, 0.371s off Verstappen’s pace, followed by Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull and Kevin Magnussen of Haas. Magnussen enjoyed a more fruitful session than his sidelined teammate Hulkenberg.
Charles Leclerc, the lone Ferrari for much of the session due to Carlos Sainz's gearbox troubles, placed ninth. Alex Albon of Williams completed the top ten, pipping Lance Stroll of Aston Martin.
Perez, aiming to rebound from recent setbacks, trailed teammate Verstappen by six-tenths in 12th. He was followed by Daniel Ricciardo in the other Red Bull and Pierre Gasly of Alpine, whose new teammate for 2025, Jack Doohan, was recently confirmed.
Logan Sargeant positioned his Williams 15th, while the Alfa Romeos of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, the latter back after Ferrari reserve Robert Shwartzman’s FP1 run, sandwiched Esteban Ocon’s Alpine in 17th.
Sainz and Hulkenberg, limited to minimal running, could not clock times on the softer compounds, finishing 19th and 20th respectively. Engineers are now focused on preparing their cars for FP3.
Post-session, stewards will examine two possible unsafe releases in the pit lane, involving Zhou exiting in front of Ricciardo and a near-collision between Albon and Stroll.
Drivers and teams will now analyze data and make necessary adjustments ahead of Saturday morning’s final practice session.
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