Lando Norris was fastest in FP2 of F1 Saudi Arabian GP from teammate Oscar Piastri, as Max Verstappen rounded out the Top 3.
Even before the start of FP3 in F1 Saudi Arabian GP under the floodlights, the running was over for Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto after a fuel leak they found between the sessions. Once things got going, there was a spin for Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll at Turn 1 but he got going.
There were two cases of near impeding midway in the session. Williams’ Alexander Albon had Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in his way in the high-speed section, while McLaren’s Lando Norris found Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Both managed to save themselves by spotting the cars on time.
There were wall clips for Albon and Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while the hit for Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda resulted in a brief red flag. Before that, McLaren’s Norris set the pace with a 1m28.267s lap to top FP2 in F1 Saudi Arabian GP, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull’s Verstappen slotted in third with a decent lap ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who required multiple attempts to get a lap out of the car. Williams’ Carlos Sainz continued his fine run in fifth after a strong lap, as Red Bull’s Tsunoda was sixth despite the late wall hit.
Mercedes’ George Russell didn’t get a good run to be seventh ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Williams’ Albon in the Top 10 in another close midfield fight. Antonelli was 11th from lead Visa Cash App RB’s Isack Hadjar, who had a large kerb moment at Turn 4.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton did not have a good time in 13th from the other Visa Cash App RB’s Liam Lawson, ahead of the lead Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and lead Haas of Oliver Bearman. Alpine’s Jack Doohan ended up 17th from Stroll and Haas’ Esteban Ocon to round the 19 runners.
UPDATE: The stewards cleared Hamilton of any penalty for impeding Albon. The Thai called it dangerous on radio, but upon checking it again, he felt it wasn’t as dangerous as he thought it to be. He knew the Brit was there, but didn’t realise that it will be this close.
The stewards sided with Albon and since it wasn’t as dangerous, they cleared the Brit of any penalty. Here: https://www.fia.com/system/files/decision-document/2025_saudi_arabian_grand_prix_-_decision_-_car_44_-_alleged_impeding_of_car_23.pdf
Here’s how FP1 in F1 Saudi Arabian GP panned out
