FP2 drama: Norris fastest, Alonso shines while Verstappen struggles at home

The second practice session of the Dutch Grand Prix kicked off with a sense of urgency amongst teams, as several drivers were aiming to get laps in, given the risk of rain during the session. However, despite light showers, they were not enough to deter the dry-tyre runners in the afternoon.

The session soon came alive in chaotic fashion, with Lance Stroll finding the barriers and heavily damaging his Aston Martin, which also resulted in a red flag. Shortly after the resumption, Isack Hadjar suffered an issue that prompted the Virtual Safety Car. The chaos in the hour-long session reached its climax when Alex Albon beached his car at Turn One, causing another red flag.

Despite the interruptions, Lando Norris remained unfazed and topped the timing sheets. The British driver clocked the fastest time of the session with a 1:08.890, with Fernando Alonso following closely, just under a tenth of a second behind.

Norris’s title rival, Oscar Piastri, could only manage third place to wrap up the top three for the session. While the McLaren duo and the Aston Martin driver were dominant, the same could not be said for Red Bull Racing.

World Champion Max Verstappen posted a 1:10.478, only good enough for fifth, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda recorded a 1:10.795 to finish seventh. The Milton Keynes-based team will be aiming for a much-improved display when they take to the circuit for the final practice session.

Below is the final classification for the second practice session.