Dutch Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: George Russell leads by a whisker from Oscar Piastri

Unlike the first free practice session, it is a dry track that awaits the drivers this afternoon at Zandvoort. Fans are present around the circuit and the atmosphere has been building since the beginning of the morning.

Barely had the session started when a mishap occurred on Oscar Piastri’s single-seater, or rather on his helmet which he had to change after one lap due to a visor problem. After about ten minutes, George Russell and Sergio Pérez each stood out by running wide, the former at turn 8 and the latter at the turn nicknamed Tarzan after the straight line of the pit lane. This first turn seems to be causing issues for the drivers. Several of them lock up their wheels there due to strong gusts of wind.

After about twenty minutes of the session, Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas finds itself stuck along the tire barriers in the run-off area of turn 1. The German driver lost control of his car under braking and had a head-on meeting with gravity. This incident causes a red flag.

The session resumes after five minutes with Verstappen and Norris quickly back on track. The two drivers are also the first ones to switch to soft tires. Lap times quickly improve in the middle of the session where we find the two McLarens in the top two positions.

It is at this moment that Ferrari informs us that due to a gearbox issue, Carlos Sainz will no longer take to the track, thus robbing the Spaniard of valuable track time on Saturday.

Disqualified after his victory in Spa, George Russell takes advantage of this session to ask his team how his floor degrades when his Mercedes climbs on kerbs. Everything is being done on the side of the Silver Arrows so that the Belgian clumsiness does not happen again.

There are twenty minutes of testing left and the two Mercedes are fighting for the top spots with the two McLarens, with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull close behind. The 18 drivers still on the track are now all on soft tires to finish this session, allowing for a comparison of the performance between the various compounds offered in the Pirelli range.

The gaps are tight with ten minutes to go in the session, with less than a tenth between Russell and Piastri in the top two positions. The hierarchy seems to be the same for this return as it was before the summer break, with Mercedes, McLaren, and Verstappen fighting for the top spots.

Charles Leclerc made his mark a few minutes before the checkered flag with a wheel lock-up in the first corner under the nose of Sergio Pérez’s Red Bull. The collision was a close call between the Ferrari and the Mexican.

The session ends with the best time for George Russell who managed to maintain his small lead ahead of Oscar Piastri. Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen follow. Charles Leclerc is only 9th and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in 14th and 17th place.

FP2 Grand Prix of the Netherlands Ranking