Lando Norris Leads McLaren 1-2 in Austrian GP Second Practice

McLaren`s Lando Norris finished fastest in the second free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday, securing a one-two for the team with championship leader Oscar Piastri just behind him. This strong showing for McLaren followed George Russell setting the quickest time for Mercedes in the opening practice earlier in the day.

Norris demonstrated immediate pace upon returning to his car, having sat out the first session while Irish rookie and Formula 2 frontrunner Alex Dunne made an impressive F1 practice debut in his place.

Following Russell`s best effort of 1:05.542 in FP1, Norris clocked a time of 1:04.580 in the second session. Piastri was 0.157 seconds slower, placing him second overall.

Red Bull`s reigning world champion Max Verstappen, a five-time winner at his team`s home circuit, was the only other driver to break the 1:05 barrier, finishing third with a lap of 1:04.898.

George Russell, who recently won from pole position in Canada, ended FP2 in sixth. Lance Stroll delivered a surprisingly strong performance for Aston Martin to take fourth, with Charles Leclerc fifth for Ferrari.

Max Verstappen had a change in his pit lane crew for the weekend, working with Simon Rennie as his race engineer due to Gianpiero Lambiase`s absence for personal reasons.

Alex Dunne was a notable highlight of the first practice session. Given track time as part of McLaren`s obligations to run rookie drivers, the 19-year-old lapped fourth fastest, a mere 0.069 seconds slower than Piastri.

Dunne, the first Irish driver to participate in a Grand Prix weekend in 22 years, expressed his immense joy over the radio after the session, calling it “the best day of my life” and thanking everyone involved, including Norris, for the opportunity.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised Dunne`s diligence and speed but advised caution when evaluating his lap time, noting it was set later in the session with lower fuel levels. Nevertheless, Stella described it as an encouraging performance for Dunne and a productive session for the team.

The Red Bull Ring circuit is known for having the shortest lap time on the Formula 1 calendar. In the first practice session, all drivers except Haas`s Oliver Bearman (who finished 20th) were covered by less than a second behind Russell`s leading time.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished ninth and tenth in the two practice sessions respectively. Ferrari appeared to struggle early on, with mechanics seen working on both cars during FP1.

Hamilton also received a warning for impeding fellow Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, who had to take evasive action to avoid contact.

Charles Leclerc sat out the first practice session, with Swedish reserve driver Dino Beganovic taking his place and finishing 18th.

Fernando Alonso experienced a significant spin in his Aston Martin but skillfully managed to keep the car out of the barriers.

Austrian Grand Prix FP2: Top 10 Times

The second practice session saw McLaren dominate the top spots, though championship leader Max Verstappen remained a close threat for Red Bull at their home race.