#F1 #BarcelonaGP #FP2: @LandoNorris pips @GeorgeRussell63 by slim 0.009s.
Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL40, Free Practice 2, Formula 1 MSC Cruises Gran Premio De Barcelona-Catalunya 2026, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Image credit to Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images. Norris Barcelona GP FP2, Barcelona-Catalunya FP2 Results, 2026 Barcelona GP FP2 Results, 2026 Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP Free Practice 2 Results.
Norris Barcelona GP FP2 – Reigning world champion Lando Norris pipped Mercedes’ George Russell in the afternoon FP2 session at the Barcelona GP as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three. Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli was fifth in the other Mercedes.
Norris on the C4 red side-walled softer compounds posted the session-topping benchmark of a 1:15.426 and was a very narrow 0.009 seconds clear of Russell who was second whilst Piastri was a further 0.057 seconds adrift of his McLaren team-mate as the top three were covered by a slim 0.060 seconds.
Normal order resumed in FP2 with full-time drivers back in their seats.
Cadillac’s Sergio Perez lead the pack out on the C3 yellow-branded medium compounds.
The Mexican was the first to register the benchmark of a 1:20.518, which was beaten by Haas’s Oliver Bearman’s 1:18.384.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly slotted into second on a 1:18.414 as Esteban Ocon went fastest on a 1:18.245.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto went quickest on a 1:17.766 as Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton went second with a 1:17.996 then Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto split the duo with a 1:17.889.
Verstappen jumped to the top on a 1:16.452 on the hards as Leclerc went second and 0.174 off the Dutchman.
Championship leader Antonelli went third only briefly with his 1:17.022, as reigning world champion Lando Norris placed his McLaren into the position on a 1:16.867.
Piastri was next with two purples shooting to P1 on a 1:15.724 to go 0.728 seconds quicker than Verstappen.
RB’s Liam Lawson pushed to fifth overall setting a 1:16.967 after three personal best efforts.
The majority of the field were on the C3 mediums bar Verstappen who was on the C2 white-branded harder compounds.
The other Cadillac of Valtteri Bottas was yet to hit the circuit.
Norris with three personal bests moved to third in the classification with a 1:16.574 to end up 0.850 seconds adrift of team-mate Piastri’s effort.
Russell with a purple opening sector and two personal bests jumped to second on a 1:15.945 as his team-mate Antonelli ran wide at turn ten and had to abandon his hot-lap.
The top three of Piastri, Russell and Verstappen were all in the pits at the end of the first quarter adjusting their setups.
The yellow flags were brought out as RB’s Lawson was stuck at the pit-lane exit line.
“The engine has died,” radioed Lawson.
The VSC was deployed as the team confirmed that a gearbox issue has hit the Kiwi’s VCARB03 racer.
When the VSC ended and the running returned to green.
Antonelli with a personal best moved into sixth on a 1:16.946 as Verstappen and Lindblad bolted on a set of C4 softer rubber.
Verstappen with two personal bests remained in third and 0.597 seconds down on Piastri setting a 1:16.321.
Home favourite Carlos Sainz on the softer tyres put his Williams FW48 eighth overall posting a 1:17.020 and 1.296 seconds adrift of Piastri’s benchmark.
Most of the field returned to the pits to adjust their setups before the half-hour-mark of proceedings and the qualifying simulation stints were about to begin.
Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg with three personal bests on the softs moved to sixth in the classification posting a 1:16.934.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar also on the C4’s with three personal bests demoted the German to take sixth with a 1:16.674 effort.
Cadillac reported an Electronic Controls Unit issue for Bottas with the Finn stuck in the garage.
Leclerc was next and the Monegasque driver with a purple middle sector and two personal bests moved up into second on a 1:15.799 to end up a slim 0.075 off Piastri’s benchmark.
Lindblad pushed his RB to fifth best setting a 1:16.411 as Russell with a purple opening sector and two personal bests went fastest posting a 1:15.435.
Russell’s team-mate Antonelli with three personal bests took fourth in the order and 0.580 seconds off the Briton.
Replays showed Aston Martin Lance Stroll take an excursion into the turn nine run-off area and the Canadian continued on.
Piastri was next on his qualifying simulation run and the McLaren driver with two personal bests pipped Leclerc for second in the order setting a 1:15.483 to end up only 0.048 off Russell’s best effort.
Reigning world champion Norris followed on his run on the softs and with three personal bests snatched P1 off Russell by a very narrow 0.009 seconds – posting a 1:15.426.
“Something is wrong with the rear of the car,” said Hamilton. His Race Engineer suggested it was the wind, which had picked up since opening practice.
Cadillac managed to get Bottas out and the Finn after a couple of installation laps on the mediums, had bolted on the softs to go for a quick run.
The Finn moved to 18th with his 1:18.225 effort to end up 2.799 adrift of Norris’s benchmark.
Majority of the field switched to mediums and Verstappen on the hards to begin their traditional long race data gathering runs to close out the session.
Replays showed Verstappen suffer a snap out of turn ten on his harder tyres.
Replays showed Hadjar having a snap attempting to overtake Perez with the former saying: “Why did [Perez] do that, I nearly crashed into him. Did he not see me or something?”
Replays also showed Russell take a trip into the turn ten gravel trap and the Briton came back onto the track with three cars bunched together.
Antonelli radioed to the team complaining about his brakes being long as the championship leader came close to running in the turn ten gravel trap.
There was a mixture of strategies out there closing out the session, with some trying out the mediums for their long runs and others the softer compounds.
Gasly had been on his mediums for 19 laps, Lindblad for 21.
Verstappen had been on the softs for the longest stint at 10 tours.
The session ended with Norris ahead of Russell and team-mate Piastri who completed the top three.
Leclerc was fourth in the order and in-front of Antonelli who placed fifth and Verstappen who took sixth.
Lindblad ended Free Practice 2 seventh overall and ahead of Bortoleto who came eighth in the classification and Hamilton who finished ninth in the session.
Hadjar completed the top ten runners.
You can see the full Formula 1 MSC Cruises Gran Premio De Barcelona-Catalunya 2026 Free Practice 2 Results Classification here: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRAN PREMIO DE BARCELONA-CATALUNYA 2026 – PRACTICE 2
#F1 #BarcelonaGP #FP1: @GeorgeRussell63 quickest ahead of @OscarPiastri, @CharlesLeclerc.
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