FP2 Jeddah: Norris leads McLaren charge, Sainz impresses for Williams, Tsunoda crashes

The floodlights illuminated the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the second free practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and it was Lando Norris in the McLaren who shone brightest. The British driver set the fastest time in a critical session for qualifying and race preparation, held under cooler night conditions more representative than the daytime FP1.

With a lap time of 1:28.267, surprisingly set on the Medium (C4) tyre, Norris edged out teammate Oscar Piastri (+0.163s), confirming McLaren's strong form on this high-speed street circuit. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) finished third (+0.280s), showing that Red Bull is close, but perhaps not as dominant as seen elsewhere.

A Pivotal Session Under the Lights

FP2 in Jeddah is the only practice session that takes place in conditions similar to qualifying and the race, with significantly lower air and track temperatures compared to the daytime FP1. This makes the hour of night running crucial for teams to gather data on car behaviour with different fuel loads and on the softer tyre compounds (Pirelli brought the C3, C4, and C5 compounds, with C5 being the Soft for the weekend).

The session began on a sour note for Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber), who remained in the garage for the entire hour due to a fuel leak. A significant setback for the young driver, who will head into qualifying with a considerable disadvantage in terms of mileage and confidence on the track.

Traffic and Early Wall Brushes

With the track cooler, teams initially focused on runs with Medium and Hard compound tyres, gathering valuable race pace data. Traffic, as always in Jeddah, proved to be a critical factor, leading to moments of tension and sarcastic comments over the radio. Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber) struggled to exit their garages cleanly in the tight pit lane, while Alexander Albon (Williams) was impeded by Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), voicing his frustration over the radio. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) also commented ironically on the traffic density: "There are 20 cars on track. I overtook 26 on this lap."

The walls of Jeddah were unforgiving. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) had the first major moment with a spin at Turn 2, though he managed to get going again. Replays showed rear locking was the cause of his high-speed spin. Rookie Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) struggled with lock-ups and had a brush with the wall on the exit of the final corner ("Box, I clipped the wall, exit of last corner"), requiring Mercedes mechanics to check his car thoroughly. Oscar Piastri ("That's still a wall with the front wing") and Alexander Albon ("Think I just skimmed the wall") also had close encounters with the barriers, highlighting the high-risk nature of the circuit.

The Lap Time Battle: McLaren Impresses

As the session approached the halfway mark, most teams bolted on the Soft C5 tyres for qualifying simulations. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) was among the first to do so, aiming to take advantage of clear track.

McLaren immediately showed excellent pace. After a quick initial run from Piastri, Lando Norris responded with a time almost identical, separated from his teammate by just one thousandth of a second. The internal battle at the Woking team promises to be intense. Norris, who seems much happier in Jeddah than at previous circuits, then improved further to set the time that put him on top.

Max Verstappen briefly took P1, but his time wasn't enough to withstand Norris's final charge.

Ferrari, Williams, and the Rest of the Pack

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), driving the SF-24 updated with the new floor, finished fourth. Despite a suboptimal first attempt on Softs, the Monegasque found his rhythm on the second run, ending up nearly half a second off the pace. His new Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, struggled to find pace, finishing 13th and reporting "high speed bouncing" over the radio. The performance difference between the two Ferrari drivers in this session is an interesting point for analysis.

The surprise package of the day was Williams, with Carlos Sainz in fifth and Alexander Albon in tenth. Sainz, at the wheel of the FW46, showed great confidence on the track, placing ahead of theoretically more competitive cars. An encouraging result for the Grove-based team.

Alpine also showed positive signs, with Pierre Gasly eighth after topping FP1. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) and Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) completed the top 12, but both had minor issues or wall contacts that may have limited their ultimate pace.

Further back were Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team), and Jack Doohan (Alpine), all within a few tenths of each other. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Esteban Ocon (Haas F1 Team) rounded out the timed runners.

Tsunoda's Crash and the Red Flag

The most dramatic moment of the session came with just minutes remaining when Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull Racing) lost control of his car at the final corner after brushing the inside wall. The impact with the outside barrier heavily damaged the RB21, ending his session prematurely and bringing out the first red flag of the weekend. "Uh, sorry guys," Tsunoda radioed, visibly disappointed by the error that compromises his team's preparation.

The red flag reduced the available time, but the session was restarted to allow some drivers to complete practice starts. However, not all managed to get out in time, including Tsunoda, Antonelli, Hadjar, and Bortoleto, whose cars were under inspection or repair.

Looking Ahead to Qualifying

Jeddah FP2 confirmed the circuit's challenging nature and suggested a tight battle at the front, with McLaren appearing to have found a strong balance in the night conditions. Sainz's performance for Williams is an intriguing data point heading into qualifying, as are Hamilton's struggles.

With teams now analyzing the long-run data gathered in the final part of the session, preparation for Sunday's race will be crucial. Attention now turns to tomorrow's qualifying, where every mistake will be costly on the unforgiving walls of Jeddah. The hunt for pole position is officially on.