#F1 #ItalianGP #FP2: @LandoNorris quickest ahead of @CharlesLeclerc, @Carlossainz55.

Norris Italian GP FP2 – McLaren’s Lando Norris ended FP2 on top of the time-sheets and narrowly ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Williams’ Carlos Sainz as the top three were covered under 0.097 seconds.

Norris posted the session-topping benchmark on the C5 red side-walled softer compounds on a 1:19.878 and was a slim 0.083 seconds clear of Leclerc whilst Sainz was a further 0.096 seconds adrift of the McLaren driver in third.

Piastri who missed opening practice to allow reserve Alexander Dunne to pilot his MCL39 racer, lead the pack out on a set of the C4 yellow-marked medium compounds.

Seven cars were out on the hard compound tyre – both Ferraris, the Mercedes pairing, the two Haas duo and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg. Kick Sauber split strategies in FP1, with Bortoleto running the C3 harder tyre and Hulkenberg the medium and now those two have switched rubber.

Mercedes’ George Russell who suffered a hydraulics issue at the end of FP1, emerged and posted the initial benchmark of a 1:21.735, which was quickly beaten by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto’s 1:21.683 whilst Piastri slotted in third with his 1:21.896 flyer.

Williams’ Alexander Albon jumped into P1 with his 1:21.510 effort after a purple sector three and two opening personal bests.

Carlos Sainz put his Williams FW47 entry into fourth as Norris put his McLaren on top with a 1:21.391 with three personal bests and no purples.

Verstappen was next posting the best sector two effort to take P1 with a 1:21.277 as Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli put his Silver Arrow into second to be 0.090 seconds adrift of the Dutchman.

Piastri then claimed P1 on a 1:21.212 as Russell slotted in P2 to end up only 0.010 off the Australian.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on his C4’s set the best sector two and two PB’s to jump into second with his 1:21.215 whilst Norris returned to the P1 slot to set a 1:21.012.

Nine minutes into the session, home favourite Antonelli brought out the sessions first red flag after beaching it into the gravel trap at the exit of the second Lesmo.

Replays showed the Italian took too much speed and ran wide into the Lesmo 2 gravel trap and suffered a spin and beaching his F1 W16 entry.

When the session resumed with 44 minutes remaining after Antonelli’s Silver Arrow was cleared, Piastri was up into second and 0.200 off his team-mate Norris whilst RB’s Liam Lawson moved up into ninth on his 1:21.534 hot-lap.

Williams’ Sainz then jumped to second with his 1:21.159, as Leclerc moved to the top with the C3 hards on a 1:20.957 then was ousted by Verstappen’s 1:20.710 to be 0.247 clear of the Ferrari driver.

Hamilton was next on his stint on the C3s to end up 0.390 seconds off Verstappen and ended up fourth with his 1:21.100 flying lap.

Leclerc then improved with a purple final sector to get closer to Verstappen with a 1:20.937 and ended up 0.227 off.

Replays showed Albon suffer a scary moment through the second Lesmo where Antonelli went off.

Sainz took top spot with a 1:20.583 to be 0.127 seconds quicker than Verstappen with 36 minutes left on the clock.

Albon was up into third with his 1:20.917 effort to wound up 0.334 seconds off team-mate Sainz.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who also missed FP1 like Piastri and had reserve Paul Aron in the A525, was the first driver to start a qualifying simulation stint on the softs and took a low-17^th setting a 1:21.564.

Norris was next with two purple final sectors to reclaim P1 with a 1:19.878 on his qualifying simulation stint on the C4’s to be 0.398 seconds clear of Sainz as Hulkenberg split the duo in second with his 1:20.241 after three personal bests and ended up 0.363 off the former.

Albon returned to second on a 1:20.179 after three personal bests to be 0.301 seconds off Norris’s benchmark.

Leclerc followed with three personal bests to end up fifth on his 1:20.399 to end up 0.521 adrift of Norris.

Hamilton was next with a purple opening sector and two personal bests to slot into second wounding up 0.192 off Norris’s benchmark.

Russell put his Mercedes sixth and 0.430 adrift of Norris whilst Piastri slotted into seventh to be 0.474 seconds off his team-mate’s time-topper.

Sainz followed with two personal bests to complete his lap to be 0.096 seconds off Norris and end up second in the order whilst Yuki Tsunoda jumped into sixth on a 1:20.269 with less than 25 minutes left on the clock.

Verstappen with two personal bests moved up into fourth to split Hamilton and Albon and wounded up 0.199 off Norris’s benchmark as Bortoleto slotted into 11^th of the classification.

Piastri with two personal bests put his MCL39 racer into third and 0.181 seconds adrift of his team-mate Norris’s effort.

With less than 19 minutes remaining, Leclerc was next and with two personal bests slotted into second to be just 0.083 seconds off Norris’s time-topper as Sainz moved back up into third to be a slim 0.096 adrift of the McLaren driver.

The majority were in the pits to adjust their setups, returned to a set of the mediums or hards, put in heavy load of fuel for their traditional long race data gathering runs and emerged to close out the session.

Replays showed Leclerc suffer a front-left lock-up through the Variante Ascari gravel trap and managed to keep going as his team-mate Hamilton reported power dropouts in-between the two Lesmos.

Hamilton was also seen dipping his left wheels into the gravel trap out of the exit of the second Lesmo corner as Piastri done likewise later.

Replays showed both Leclerc and Bearman run into the Variante Della Roggia Chicane run-off area and continued on.

The session ended up with Norris on top with Leclerc second as Sainz rounded out the top three.

Piastri was fourth and in-front of Hamilton who took fifth and Verstappen ended the day sixth.

Albon placed seventh in the classification and ahead of Hulkenberg who followed in eighth whilst Tsunoda and Russell completed the top ten.

You can see the full Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio D’Italia 2025 Free Practice 2 Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2025 – PRACTICE 2

#F1 #ItalianGP #FP1: @LewisHamilton pips @CharlesLeclerc by 0.169s in @ScuderiaFerrariHP one-two.

#F1 #Pirelli #ItalianGP 2025 Preview. #Formula1 #ItalianGrandPrix