Lando Norris fastest in Las Vegas Grand Prix FP2 after two red flags

Follow us on Google Discover

Lando Norris topped the Las Vegas Grand Prix FP2 timings after the session saw a late red flag caused by a loose manhole cover.

A light drizzle hit the track between the first day’s practice sessions, although it stopped just before FP2 began. It didn’t appear to cause any significant issues for the practice, although it was initially anticipated that cooler temperatures would not help any drying.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is known for being slippery, with drivers reporting early in the run that the rain had caused grip to be even lower.

George Russell topped the timings in the first part of the second practice ahead of his Mercedes teammate before both McLaren drivers and Lewis Hamilton pushed the pair down the standings.

Russell was quick to reclaim the top position from Lando Norris, which looks reassuring for Mercedes this weekend. The Brackley-based team are expected to do well this weekend, with the cooler temperatures suiting the car compared to the championship leaders, McLaren.

Times quickly began to tumble in FP2, with the track evolving massively compared to the session earlier in the day. Medium tyres were already producing quicker times than the softs during FP1, which could make for an exciting qualifying tomorrow.

Ollie Bearman, Isack Hadjar and Norris all experienced big lock-ups at Turn 14 towards the mid point of the session, with the championship leader narrowly missing the wall as he spun his car back round to head onto the track.

With 30 minutes remaining in the session, Charles Leclerc found himself back at the top of the timing sheets, after leading the pack during FP1. Liam Lawson placed his Racing Bulls in P2 at the halfway mark, with some outliers making their way into the top spots during earlier runs.

A late red flag saw the session stopped with just over 20 minutes remaining, which was thrown due to a loose manhole cover. The race stewards were quick to throw the caution after spotting the issue, hoping not to repeat what happened when Carlos Sainz damaged his Ferrari on a manhole just nine minutes into the first practice session in 2023.

Oscar Piastri was unlucky not to have had a soft tyre run before the red flag was thrown, putting him on the back foot heading into the final minutes of practice. The Aussie, who sits second in the drivers’ championship, found himself in P14, with just six minutes of practice remaining.

Other drivers to have missed out on some valuable soft tyre practice were Verstappen and Hamilton, who sat in the lower points of the top 10.

Leclerc suffered a late gearbox issue as the cars made their way out onto the track, which meant the Monegasque was unable to set a soft tyre lap. It is a disappointing end to the session for the Ferrari driver after appearing to have pace during the first day.