McLaren Shines in Austrian GP Practice: Lando Norris Tops Team-Mate Oscar Piastri

In the second practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren's Lando Norris set the fastest time, edging out team-mate Oscar Piastri. Despite sitting out the first session, Norris demonstrated an impressive return to action, beating Piastri by 0.157 seconds with a time of 1:04.580.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull came in third, three tenths behind Norris, despite Red Bull having brought a revised floor edge to their home event. McLaren, who brought an upgraded front suspension to Spielberg, appear to have an advantage over the rest of the field.

Norris expressed satisfaction with the car's performance, praising the feedback provided by Irish rookie Alex Dunne during the first session. He acknowledged that there is still room for improvement, aiming for better results in coming sessions.

George Russell, fresh off his first victory of the season in Canada, looked to be McLaren's most likely challenger after topping the first practice for Mercedes. However, he had to settle for sixth in the second session, with a six-tenth gap between him and Norris. Russell attributed this difference to running his soft-tyre qualifying simulations earlier than the McLarens on the quickly improving surface.

Lance Stroll took a surprise fourth for Aston Martin ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with the Italian team's new floor appearing to have brought little improvement. Lewis Hamilton fared even worse, finishing 10th while complaining of a lack of pace in his Ferrari.

Hamilton faced a post-session investigation for impeding Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, but escaped serious punishment, receiving a warning instead.

Both Hamilton and Leclerc expressed optimism despite a less than ideal day in practice. Hamilton acknowledged the need for improvements, hoping to close the gap in the coming sessions. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc appeared to be optimistic despite not having an ideal day in practice.

In Practice One, Irish rookie Alex Dunne impressed on his debut with McLaren, finishing fourth fastest, within a tenth of team-mate Piastri for the session. Dunne's impressive performance will likely catapult his name into any possible openings for the 2026 season.

The Austrian GP Practice Two Timesheet:

  • 1) Lando Norris - McLaren - 1:04.580
  • 2) Oscar Piastri - McLaren +0.157
  • 3) Max Verstappen - Red Bull +0.318
  • 4) Lance Stroll - Aston Martin +0.442
  • 5) Charles Leclerc - Ferrari +0.610
  • 6) George Russell - Mercedes +0.702

Stay tuned for live updates and more action from the Austrian Grand Prix.

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#F1 #Austrian Grand Prix #McLaren #Lando Norris #Oscar Piastri #Practice