Free Practice 2 of the Saudi Arabian GP allowed 19 of the 20 drivers an opportunity to explore the Jeddah Corneiche Circuit under the conditions that they could expect to experience during Saturday’s Qualifying and Sunday’s Race. In the end, however, it was McLaren’s Lando Norris who emerged at the top of the timesheet, putting in a 1:28.267 to keep ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri who finished P2.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen finished P3, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc overcame a difficult stint on the soft tyres to finish P4 with a 1:28.749. Williams Racing’s Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five with a 1:28.942. However, the final quarter of the race, though settled, was eventually disrupted by a red flag, as Yuki Tsunoda collided with barriers at Turn 27.
Gasly fastest in FP1
Pierre Gasly led a surprise result in Free Practice 1 for the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP, topping the timesheets for Alpine ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.007s. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, with Bahrain GP winner Oscar Piastri settling for fourth.
McLaren arrived in Jeddah after a dominant Bahrain performance, where Piastri claimed his fourth career win, leading Mercedes’ George Russell and Norris. However, while, Piastri and Norris showed early pace in Jeddah’s hot conditions, Gasly emerged on top midway through the session with a 1:29.239. Ferrari used the session to evaluate a new floor upgrade, with Leclerc consistently near the front.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz impressed on hard tyres early on, climbing to third before falling back, while multiple drivers including Oliver Bearman and Jack Doohan had minor lock-ups but avoided major issues.
Late improvements from Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon shuffled the midfield, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar improved to P15 after a tough session. Gasly held firm to lead the field as the chequered flag fell, with Gabriel Bortoleto ending the session in last.
Ocon leads the grid out for FP2, with Bortoleto confined to the garage
As the lights went green, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, now on the medium tyres, again led the grid onto the track with. However, while 19 drivers made their way onto the track, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto remained confined to his garage with his car in pieces. Ahead of Free Practice 2 of the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP, the Hinwil-based team discovered a fuel leak. With a momumental task ahead to return the car to race readiness, Bortoleto looked to miss out on FP2. This could prove costly for the rookie driver, as he will miss out on practicing in conditions similar to what he can expect in Saturday’s Qualifying and Sunday’s Race.
After several prepartory laps, McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished Free Practice 1 in P2, went top of the timesheets with a 1:29.772, just 8 minutes into the session. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc then put in a 1:29.177 to slot into P2, ahead of Max Verstappen who improved to 1:29.600 to strengthen his hold on P3. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, who had a mostly uneventful first Free Practice session, brought out the yellow flag after locking up and spinning into Turn 2. This, however, did not stop Williams’ Carlos Sainz from claiming P4, with Alpine’s Jack Doohan moving up into P5. Stroll, however, soon recovered, returning to the track as the green flag waved.
McLaren setting the pace after the first quarter
With a track temperature of over 38° Celsius, the drivers have found themselves balancing high-speed laps with lower-speed cooldowns. With many blind circuits around the track, however, this seemed to be a challenge as drivers risked blocking each other around the circuit.
As the first quarter of Free Practice 2 at the Saudi Arabian GP, McLaren claimed a 1-2, with Norris leading Piastri by just 0.001 seconds. Norris was quick on his radio to complain about being blocked by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. He set an impressive 1:29.272. Norris soon dropped to P2, with Piastri bettering his time to a 1:29.140. Meanwhile Leclerc, who lost some time in the final sector, improved to set a 1:29.002 and claim P1 from the McLarens.
With the first 19 minutes of the session complete, Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, put in a 1:29.620 to put go P6, behind Verstappen in P5 and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, on the soft tyre, who put in a 1:29.522 to take P4. Tsunoda, still on the medium tyres, improved to P4, despite locking up in the final sector. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli moved into P6 with a 1:29.564. Antonelli’s teammate, George Russell, remained P9 with a 1:29.707.
Russell first out for the second stint of FP2
With just under 20 minutes left on the clock, the drivers returned to the pitlane to change onto new soft tyres for the second stint of Free Practice 2 at the Saudi Arabian GP. Russell, now on new soft tyres, set the benchmark, putting in a 1:28.973.
Sainz, down in P11, then improved his time to go top with a 1:28.942. With the drivers having completed their slower outlaps, action on track heated up with Verstappen claiming P1 with a 1:28.547 as Bearman and Ocon improved to P13 and P16, and Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, also on the soft tyres, went P6 with a 1:29.193. With just over 31 minutes left in the session, 2.015 seconds separated the 19 drivers on track, with all having changed onto the soft tyres for some Qualifying runs.
Piastri then improved to P1 with a 1:28.430, as Racing Bulls’ Hadjar had a rough exit out of Turn 4. He remained P11, ahead of former teammate, Tsunoda, but asked his engineer to check for damage to his floor.
Leclerc struggling on softs as Norris takes P1
Norris claimed P1 into the second half of the session, putting in a 1:28.340. Tsunoda also improved to go P5, ahead of Russell in P6. Leclerc, who seemed strong before the tyre change, however, struggled to find the pace on the soft tyres, with Leclerc eventually pitting for some adjustments. His teammate, Hamilton, also appeared to be struggling. Hamilton remained stuck in P12, ahead of the two Racing Bulls but behind Mercedes rookie Antonelli.
After a difficult stint, Leclerc finally put in a strong lap on the soft tyres, moving up to P4 with a 1:28.749. Antonelli, who clipped the wall, returned to the garage for some checks, as Norris improved to 1:28.267 with just about 20 minutes left on the clock.
Tsunoda brings out the red flag in the final ten minutes of FP2
With just about a third of the session left before the end of session, the track fell quiet with all except Verstappen, Sainz and Stroll returning to their garages for some fuel and needed adjustments.
They emerged on new tyres, with some opting to run medium tyres while others chose the hards. A few drivers remained on the soft compound tyres. Race simulations seemed to be the focus for the final quarter of Free Practice 2 at the Saudi Arabian GP. This led to relatively settle on-track action with drivers no longer testing their one-lap pace.
Witn just over eight minutes left on the clock, Yuki Tsunoda brought out the red flag. He collided with the barrier out of Turn 7, and while he emerged from his car unscathed, despite the high impact, the same could not the said for the RB21. Tsunoda was not the only driver who faced a premature end to his FP2. With the time ticking down, and Tsunoda’s car still on track, the drivers risked seeing the chequered flag from the pit lane.
Fortunately for those wanting a practice start, the session resumed with less than a minute on the clock. However, with there not being sufficient time left for any improved lap times, the drivers hurried across the line, solely to give themselves an opportunity to practice their starts. Lando Norris remained top of the timesheets, ahead of Piastri in P2, and Verstappen in P3.
Full Session Results
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Max Verstappen
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Yuki Tsunoda
- George Russell
- Pierre Gasly
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Alex Albon
- Kimi Antonelli
- Isack Hadjar
- Lewis Hamilton
- Liam Lawson
- Fernando Alonso
- Oliver Bearman
- Jack Doohan
- Lance Stroll
- Esteban Ocon
Gabriel Bortoleto did not participate in Free Practice 2 of the Saudi Arabian GP due to a fuel leak which required significant work on his C45.
