Charles Leclerc continued Ferrari’s strong start to the weekend by finishing fastest in FP2, setting a 1:17.827 to lead Lando Norris and George Russell. Norris was just 0.103 seconds behind, with Russell a further 0.003 seconds back, leaving the top three separated by barely a tenth. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, ahead of Max Verstappen in fifth.
The session was interrupted early when Verstappen and Liam Lawson made contact, scattering debris across the circuit and bringing out the red flags. Verstappen’s Red Bull suffered floor damage, forcing the team to carry out repairs before he could return to the track. There was further disruption when Lewis Hamilton stopped between Turns 3 and 4 with a suspected power issue, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
Once running resumed, Leclerc found another gear on the soft tyres, becoming the first driver to break into the 1:17s before improving to his session-leading time. Norris and both Mercedes drivers also produced competitive laps, while Verstappen managed to recover to fifth despite his earlier problems. Isack Hadjar completed the top six, with Arvid Lindblad seventh and Pierre Gasly eighth. Leclerc therefore completed a clean sweep of Friday’s practice sessions, although McLaren and Mercedes were showing encouraging pace heading into Saturday.
