Lando Norris topped a disrupted second practice session at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap despite two late red flags that curtailed running. The McLaren driver's time of 1:33.602 edged out Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by a mere 0.029 seconds. Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari was third fastest, but his session ended prematurely due to a gearbox issue.
The second practice session (FP2) faced two red flag stoppages in the final 20 minutes. The first red flag was triggered by concerns over a potentially loose manhole cover at the high-speed Turn 17. After a 15-minute inspection, the session resumed with just six minutes remaining. However, the session was soon red-flagged again due to track maintenance related to the same manhole cover, bringing FP2 to an early end.
The timing of the red flags made it difficult to gauge the true competitive order, as many drivers were unable to complete their qualifying simulation runs on soft tires. Several drivers also experienced difficulties with the low-grip conditions, with both Norris and Isack Hadjar running wide at Turn 16.
In the first practice session (FP1), Charles Leclerc set the pace, followed by Williams' Alex Albon and the Red Bulls of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen. Norris was sixth in FP1, struggling with the car.
The second practice session began with a sprinkle of rain, making the track slippery. Times gradually improved as the circuit rubbered in. Lewis Hamilton initially set the fastest time, but Norris, on soft tires, ultimately took the top spot.
Behind Norris, Antonelli impressed in second place, while Leclerc, despite his gearbox issue, was third. Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson also showed good pace, finishing fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.
Several drivers, including Oscar Piastri, were unable to set representative lap times on soft tires due to the red flags. This leaves uncertainty about the pecking order heading into qualifying.
Sky Sports F1's Anthony Davidson suggested that McLaren had resolved the issues they faced in FP1 but cautioned against drawing firm conclusions due to the disrupted nature of FP2.
The FIA explained that the second red flag was a precautionary measure after a marshal reported a potentially loose manhole cover before Turn 17. Race control was unable to confirm this information via CCTV and stopped the session to assess the situation. Further inspections are underway.
