Norris holds on in tense FP2

McLaren has ended Friday at Monza on top with Lando Norris holding off the resurgent Ferraris in FP2.

After a stunning one-two in the opening Italian Grand Prix session, Ferrari had to settle for second best as Charles Leclerc fell 0.083s short of Norris.

The McLaren #4 fired the chart-topping 1:19.878 just before the halfway mark and it was unchallenged for the rest of the day.

Behind him it was rinse and repeat with Leclerc and Williams’ Carlos Sainz finishing second and third just like they did in FP1.

Australia’s Oscar Piastri kicked off his weekend in fourth ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as less than two tenths covered the top nine.

It was another edgy session with many drivers finding the gravel, headlined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who brought out another red flag in a further confidence blow for the young Italian.

After missing the opening session, Piastri was keen for some track time and was the first to roll out of the lane with a cracked right mirror.

However, it might have been a touch early with the stewards to investigate the release post-session, but a fine is the most likely outcome.

The Aussie went straight to the top with his first lap in anger, posting a 1:21.212, which shaded Russell, who showed speed on the hards.

Hamilton purple first sector but ended up six tenths adrift, as Norris made a statement, going a tenth clear on top.

Gasly got crossed up through Ascari, and the snap sent him touring the gravel.

However, an even bigger off for under-pressure home hope Andrea Kimi Antonelli brought the red flags out after just 10 minutes.

An early snap of the rear before the apex of the second Lesmo sent the Italian spinning through the gravel.

With the Mercedes beached, driver error saw Antonelli lose precious track time for the second weekend in a row.

It was not until after the resumption that Ferrari showed its hand, and the signs were ominous with Leclerc going to the top on the Hard compound.

But this stint was short-lived as the #16 was immediately usurped by Verstappen’s 1:20.710.

Sainz showed speed by finding an extra 0.127s as the session crept towards the midway mark.

These movements dropped Norris as low as fifth, but it was almost so much worse as he got sideways coming out of the Seconda Variante.

The Brit carried on without damage and he then fired to the top, being the first to record a 1m19s time at the 28-minute mark.

Also running Softs were Hamilton, Hulkenberg and Sainz, who could not quite snap out of the 1m20s.

The first to join Norris in the 1m19s club ended up being Sainz after he came within 0.096s as the sister Williams got in the road of Stroll.

Leclerc soon reduced Norris’ advantage to 0.083s before locking up at the Ascari Chicane and taking a trip through the sand.

Not all drivers pushed flat out, with the likes of Hamilton and Russell doing race runs on Hards in the closing minutes, where there was little change at the top of the leaderboard.

The early signs suggest McLaren will not have everything its own way in the fight for the 2025 Italian Grand Prix.

Image: McLaren

2025 Italian Grand Prix Free Practice 2 results

1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m19.878s
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.083s
3 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.096s
4 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.181s
5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.192s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.199s
7 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.301s
8 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.363s
9 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +0.391s
10 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.398s
11 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.505s
12 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.597s
13 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.650s
14 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.729s
15 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.767s
16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.776s
17 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +0.933s
18 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.224s
19 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.489s
20 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.686s

FP3 – Saturday 20.30-21.30

Qualifying – Sunday 0.00-1.00

Grand Prix – Sunday 23.00

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