Lando Norris from McLaren outpaced his teammate Oscar Piastri in the second practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull crashed, bringing the session to a halt.
The session was interrupted with nine minutes remaining when Tsunoda`s car impacted both the inside and outside barriers at the final corner.
Tsunoda had the sixth fastest time, behind Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Carlos Sainz of Williams. His crash will require significant repairs to the front-right of his car.
- F1 2025 schedule | F1 championship standings
- When to watch the Saudi Arabian GP on Sky Sports
- Got Sky? Watch F1 races LIVE on your phone! 📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
- Choose the Sky Sports push notifications you want! 🔔
Tsunoda admitted, “I turned in too sharply and hit the inside wall with my wheel.” He continued, “It caused damage, and then I lost control. I apologize to the team. Our speed was promising, so it`s unfortunate.”
McLaren appears strong in Jeddah, with Norris leading Piastri by 0.163 seconds. Several drivers, including Piastri, brushed the walls during the session.
Max Verstappen was third, 0.280 seconds behind Norris. Red Bull seems more competitive in Saudi Arabia compared to Bahrain, on a track where driver skill can be more impactful.
Also See:
- Stream every F1 race with NOW
- When to watch Saudi Arabian GP on Sky
- F1 in 2025: The full race schedule
- Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp
Leclerc finished half a second behind Norris, significantly ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was 13th, 1.1 seconds off the pace.
Hamilton was investigated for potentially impeding Alex Albon of Williams but was cleared by the stewards.
Norris leads the Drivers` Championship by three points over Piastri, with Verstappen eight points behind, and George Russell 14 points back.
Russell was only seventh as Mercedes struggled with the soft tires. Pierre Gasly, who was fastest in the first practice, finished eighth, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Albon.
Gabriel Bortoleto of Sauber did not participate in the second practice due to a water leak.
Norris: Expected a Larger Gap
McLaren seems to have an edge, but competitors appear closer in Jeddah compared to Bahrain.
Norris set his fastest time on his second soft-tire lap, suggesting potential for improvement.
Norris commented, “A solid first day. It`s always hectic here due to the speed and many walls. Lots of close calls.”
He added, “Today was more about refining my driving and building confidence rather than car adjustments.”
“Good weekend start. Productive, building confidence and feel. I think we are on track for my goals today,” Norris stated.
He continued, “Currently, we are confident, but others are close. I hoped for a larger gap. We know we are quick and have a great car, but it`s not as comfortable as we`d like.”
Red Bull is performing better on the Jeddah track. Verstappen mentioned, “Still some work needed.”
“We experimented with different car setups to find a new direction. We learned a lot,” said Verstappen.
“Still not ideal. I focus on my feeling in the car. Single-lap pace improved, but long runs remain challenging.”
Ferrari`s Pace Still Uncertain
Ferrari`s true pace is unclear. Leclerc was fastest on medium tires but faced traffic, eventually finishing fourth.
Hamilton has improvements to make, needing to close a six-tenths gap to Leclerc.
Kimi Antonelli had some moments, and Russell lacked pace throughout Friday.
Russell described it as “a messy session with few laps at the end.”
He added, “We are slightly worse than FP1, but we can improve.”
“It`s about maximizing tire performance. We and Kimi tested different approaches to learn,” Russell explained.
“We gained direction from that. Long run pace was uncertain due to the red flag,” he mentioned.
“It will be a tight race for the next best team. McLaren is still strong.”
Saudi Arabian GP Practice Two Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:28.267 |
| 2) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.163 |
| 3) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.280 |
| 4) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.482 |
| 5) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.675 |
| 6) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.696 |
| 7) George Russell | Mercedes | +0.706 |
| 8) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.839 |
| 9) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +0.926 |
| 10) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.953 |
| 11) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.975 |
| 12) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1.039 |
| 13) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.104 |
| 14) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.221 |
| 15) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +1.395 |
| 16) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.487 |
| 17) Jack Doohan | Alpine | +1.645 |
| 18) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.740 |
| 19) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.752 |
| 20) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | No lap time |
Sky Sports F1`s Saudi Arabian GP Schedule
Saturday April 19
- 1.15pm: F1 Academy Race 1
- 2.05pm: Saudi Arabian GP Practice Three (session starts at 2.30pm)*
- 4.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 5.10pm: Saudi Arabian GP Qualifying build-up
- 6pm: SAUDI ARABIAN GP QUALIFYING
Sunday April 20
- 1pm: F1 Academy Race 2
- 2.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 4.30pm: Saudi Arabian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 6pm: THE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX*
- 8pm: Saudi Arabian GP reaction: Chequered flag
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 concludes its first triple-header of 2025 in Jeddah with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
