Second Free Practice Report & Results 2025 Saudi Arabian F1 GP

F1 Race Event: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Race Track: Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Weather: dry  20°C
Tarmac: dry  36°C
Humidity : 30%
Wind : 6.1 km/h

Norris Lights Up Jeddah As Tsunoda Crashes Out in Drama-Filled FP2

Friday night under the lights in Saudi Arabia delivered a true Jeddah rollercoaster—blistering speed, battered barriers, and a Brit back on top.

Lando Unleashed: Norris Finds His Groove Again

Something has definitely clicked for Lando Norris. After a lacklustre outing in Bahrain, the McLaren driver came alive on the streets of Jeddah, posting a sizzling 1m28.267s to top the timesheets in Free Practice 2. It wasn’t just quick—it was a statement. Only 0.163s ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, but miles ahead in confidence.

McLaren looked sharp under the lights, with both drivers flirting with the walls and the limits, and somehow managing not to pay the price—unlike a few others…

Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Flag Fumble

While Norris was dancing on the edge, Yuki Tsunoda tipped over it. The RB driver kissed the inside wall at the final corner, which broke his suspension and sent him careening into the barriers on the opposite side. Cue the first red flag of the weekend.

Tsunoda climbed out unhurt, but it was a brutal end to a session where he had actually looked competitive, running as high as P5. The RB mechanics have a late night ahead—and so does Tsunoda, if he wants to mentally bounce back by Qualifying.

Bortoleto's Bad Luck: No Laps, No Fun

Rookie Gabriel Bortoleto couldn’t even join the party. A fuel leak kept his car parked in the garage for the entire session, and the green-clad Campos never saw the lights of Jeddah. For a rookie, missing the only representative session of the weekend is a nightmare. He’ll go into Quali nearly blind.

The Pack Behind: Verstappen Watching, Leclerc Lurking

Max Verstappen slotted into third, a couple tenths off Norris, but the reigning champ looked relaxed—even amused—when Norris cheekily tried to pass him on a practice start run. We love to see it.

Behind him, Charles Leclerc found pace on his second soft-tyre push and ended up P4, while Carlos Sainz followed closely. Ferrari's new floor, first seen in Bahrain, seems to be unlocking a bit more performance on the twisty, high-speed streets of Saudi.

Chaos in the Pit Lane, and a Mixed-Up Top 10

We had a bit of comedy before we got going—Sainz had to be wheeled back into his garage after a pit lane shuffle, and Hülkenberg repeated the dance right in front of Piastri, who responded with a radio message dipped in sarcasm and a well-timed thumbs up.

The final top 10 was a blend of expected faces and surprise appearances: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, Leclerc, Sainz, Tsunoda, Russell, Gasly, Hülkenberg, and Albon. A few big names missing? Yup—Lewis Hamilton languished in P13, never really finding rhythm. A far cry from his 2021 Jeddah victory.

Mercedes: One Up, One Down

George Russell looked relatively comfy, flirting with the top five early on. But rookie Kimi Antonelli had a much more intense workout. A snap here, a thud there—his Mercedes kissed the wall harder than it should’ve, and the car was pulled in for checks. He’s still finding his feet, but at least he's pushing.

Eyes on Qualifying: Who Will Nail It?

Saturday’s FP3 will be the last dress rehearsal before one of the most exhilarating Qualifying sessions on the calendar. With barely a tenth separating the top four earlier in the weekend, the margins are razor thin.

McLaren might be leading the way, but Verstappen hasn’t shown his final hand. Ferrari are improving, Williams is sneaky quick in sector 1, and chaos lurks at every corner.

Final Word: Jeddah Doesn’t Forgive

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit remains one of F1’s most thrilling challenges. It's high-speed chess with concrete walls, and FP2 proved again that this place punishes the smallest mistake—just ask Tsunoda.

One hour of practice remains before the gloves really come off. Tune in tomorrow as we find out who’s got the nerve, the grip, and the guts to conquer Qualifying in Saudi Arabia.

FP3 kicks off Saturday at 16:30 local time (13:30 UTC). Set your alarms—this one’s going to be wild.

FP2 Times Table 2025 Saudi Arabian GP

✅ Don't forget to check out the 2025 Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix preview

The best sector times around the Jeddah circuit during FP1 were:

• Sector 1: 32.063 sec by Lando Norris #4 (McLaren MCL39)
• Sector 2: 27.898 sec by Lando Norris #4 (McLaren MCL39)
• Sector 3: 28.190 sec by Oscar Piastri #83 (McLaren MCL39)

The quickest lap time of last year's second practice was a  1:28,827 min driven by Max Verstappen on a set of soft tyres underneath the Red Bull RB20

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