McLaren Takes Charge in Austrian GP Practice
Spielberg, Austria – In a commanding display during the second practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix, Lando Norris of McLaren set the fastest lap, clocking in at 1:04.580, and outpaced teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.157 seconds. Norris, who missed the first practice to give development driver Alex Dunne seat time, showcased immediate pace upon switching to soft tires midway through the session, setting three purple sectors before shifting to a medium tire race simulation.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing finished the day in third, 0.318 seconds off the pace, focusing his efforts on a long-run simulation with the soft compound. Despite being at his home GP, Verstappen was unable to match McLaren’s pace, trailing significantly behind his competitors.
A surprising fourth-place finish came from Lance Stroll of Aston Martin, who delivered a strong performance with a lap time just 0.442 seconds off the fastest time. Teammate Charles Leclerc of Ferrari placed fifth, struggling with rear-end stability and ending the session 0.610 seconds behind Norris.
George Russell, who topped the first practice session, found himself in sixth, 0.649 seconds slower than Norris. Yuki Tsunoda in seventh faced difficulties maintaining control of the car, while Gabriel Bortoleto and Fernando Alonso finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top ten but expressed concern about his car’s lack of pace, coming in 0.931 seconds off the fast lap. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson followed in 11th and 12th, both dealing with distinct challenges throughout the session.
Pierre Gasly reported substantial performance issues with his Alpine, finishing 14th, while teammates Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, who had performed better in FP1, found themselves 16th and 17th, respectively.
The session highlighted McLaren’s competitive resurgence, raising expectations ahead of qualifying on Saturday.
