If you’re the sort who believes Formula 1 is a game of inevitabilities—Red Bull dominance, Verstappen’s unflappable calm, and Ferrari’s annual existential crisis—then the second free practice session at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix was a rude awakening. On a day when the Styrian hills echoed with the sound of V6s and the collective gasp of a paddock caught off guard, McLaren painted the Red Bull Ring orange, while the rest of the grid scrambled for answers, excuses, or, in some cases, a tow back to the pits.
The Numbers Don’t Lie—But They Do Raise Eyebrows
Let’s start with the cold, hard facts. Here’s how the top ten shook out in FP2:
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:04.580 | — | 35 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:04.737 | +0.157 | 35 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:04.898 | +0.318 | 24 |
| 4 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:05.022 | +0.442 | 32 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:05.190 | +0.610 | 32 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:05.229 | +0.649 | 34 |
| 7 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | 1:05.292 | +0.712 | 31 |
| 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 1:05.411 | +0.831 | 31 |
| 9 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:05.457 | +0.877 | 31 |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:05.511 | +0.931 | 34 |
For the full rundown, see the excellent summary at Motorsport Week.
Now, if you’re a McLaren fan, you’re probably still pinching yourself. The last time McLaren locked out the top two in any session at the Red Bull Ring? Well, let’s just say it’s not in living memory—or at least not in the memory of anyone who doesn’t keep their own VHS archive of 1980s practice sessions. According to the historical record, this is a statistical anomaly of the highest order. McLaren, for all their storied history, have not managed a 1-2 in Austrian GP practice since the circuit’s modern rebirth.
Lando Norris: The Man Who Sat Out, Then Stood Tall
Lando Norris, who missed FP1 to let McLaren junior Alex Dunne have a go (and, let’s be honest, probably spent the session watching telemetry with a cup of tea and a wry smile), came out swinging in FP2. He set the benchmark early and never looked back, his 1:04.580 a statement lap that left even the local hero Verstappen scratching his head.
Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, was a mere 0.157 seconds behind. For a team that spent the last decade oscillating between “promising” and “perpetually rebuilding,” this was a moment to savor. The McLaren garage, usually a study in British restraint, was reportedly “buzzing”—which, in Woking parlance, means someone actually smiled.
Red Bull: The Empire Blinks
Max Verstappen, the reigning four-time World Champion and five-time Spielberg winner, was third—three tenths off Norris. For a man who has made the Red Bull Ring his personal playground, this was a rare moment of vulnerability. Verstappen’s session was not without drama: his second run came long after Norris had set his time, and he was left muttering on the radio about traffic and tire temperatures.
What the hell? Just drives on the left.
Max Verstappen, on Norris’s audacious move past him on the run to Turn 3
Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, was seventh, having briefly outpaced Verstappen before the Dutchman’s late-session flyer. Red Bull, for once, looked mortal.
Lance Stroll: The Surprise of the Session
If you had Lance Stroll in your “FP2 hero” sweepstakes, congratulations—you’re either a clairvoyant or his mother. Stroll’s Aston Martin was fourth, ahead of both Ferraris and one Mercedes. For a driver whose Austrian GP history is more notable for milestones (his 50th Grand Prix in 2019) than miracles, this was a genuine surprise.
Historically, Stroll’s best at the Red Bull Ring was a third-fastest lap in the 2023 race, but he’s never threatened the sharp end in practice. Today, he did. Whether this is a harbinger of a breakthrough or just a blip remains to be seen, but for now, let’s allow the Canadian his moment in the Alpine sun.
Ferrari and Mercedes: The Usual Drama, With Extra Gravel
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, two men who have made a habit of finding each other on track (and occasionally in the stewards’ room), both had eventful sessions. Leclerc’s Ferrari snapped right and into the gravel at Turn 6, a moment that will no doubt feature in every highlight reel and meme compilation by morning. Earlier, he’d run deep at Turn 3, radioing that the car “wasn’t decelerating at all.”
A productive Friday in Austria 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/ze8MiBx0oa
Hamilton, meanwhile, found himself at the center of an FIA investigation for impeding Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The seven-time champion, now in Ferrari red, was apologetic but bemused:
I couldn’t see Antonelli at all, so…
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
George Russell, the FP1 pacesetter, was sixth, while Antonelli—still finding his feet in the big leagues—was eleventh, just 0.026 seconds behind Hamilton. The intra-team dynamics at Mercedes are, as ever, a soap opera in three acts.
Sauber, Racing Bulls, and the Rest: The Midfield Gets Spicy
Gabriel Bortoleto continued his impressive rookie campaign with eighth for Sauber, while Fernando Alonso (ninth) reminded everyone that age is just a number—unless you’re a tire, in which case it’s a death sentence.
The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar were twelfth and thirteenth, respectively, both within a whisker of the top ten. Pierre Gasly, in a perpetually underwhelming Alpine, was fourteenth and not shy about his frustrations:
Something is broken on the car. It’s disastrous. Turn 1 and 6 all over the place.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Esteban Ocon (Haas), Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz (Williams), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber), and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) rounded out the field, each with their own tales of woe, traffic, or existential dread.
Incidents, Investigations, and the Art of the Austrian Off
No Austrian GP practice would be complete without a bit of gravel, a dash of controversy, and at least one radio message that will live in infamy. Leclerc’s off at Turn 6 was the headline act, but Hamilton’s impeding of Antonelli and Lawson’s steering woes (If I let go of the steering, it goes hard right) added to the drama.
The session was also notable for the sheer number of drivers exploring the limits—sometimes literally—of the Red Bull Ring. Bearman dipped his Haas into the gravel, while Verstappen and Norris had their own close encounter on the run to Turn 3.
For a full breakdown of the session’s chaos, see the detailed report at PlanetF1.
Historical Parallels: When the Unexpected Becomes the Norm
If you’re looking for historical precedent, you’ll be searching a while. McLaren’s 1-2 in FP2 is, by all available records, unprecedented at the modern Austrian Grand Prix. The team’s last golden era at this circuit was in the days of Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard, but even then, practice dominance was rare.
Lance Stroll’s fourth place is also a statistical outlier. His previous best at the Red Bull Ring was a third-fastest lap in the 2023 race, but he’s never troubled the top five in practice. As for Ferrari and Mercedes, their struggles are less surprising—both teams have made a habit of turning promise into pathos at this circuit.
The Human Element: Pressure, Pride, and the Pursuit of Perfection
What makes FP2 in Austria so compelling isn’t just the timesheets—it’s the human drama. Norris, fresh from a session on the sidelines, delivered a lap that will have McLaren dreaming of more than just podiums. Piastri, the championship leader, was right there with him, setting up a tantalizing intra-team battle.
Verstappen, the local favorite, looked rattled—a rare sight in recent years. Stroll, often maligned as a pay driver, silenced critics (at least for a day). Leclerc and Hamilton, two of the sport’s most gifted drivers, found themselves in the gravel and the stewards’ office, respectively.
And then there’s the midfield, where rookies like Bortoleto and Hadjar are making names for themselves, and veterans like Alonso are refusing to fade quietly into the night.
