Norris Dominates as Hülkenberg Shines in Silverstone EL2

Lando Norris showcased his prowess in the British GP EL2, while Nico Hülkenberg stunned with a surprising performance, as close margins defined another thrilling session at Silverstone.

Under an increasingly grey sky and intensifying winds, the second Free Practice session for the British Grand Prix took place. Following Lando Norris’s best time this morning ahead of Lance Stroll, predicting the true hierarchy on the Silverstone track was challenging. EL2 provided some confirmations, but also raised further questions.

Charles Leclerc set the initial benchmark on medium tyres with a time of 1’28″453. Max Verstappen soon responded strongly, bettering this by six-tenths with a time of 1’27″831.

Lewis Hamilton recorded the third-fastest time, while Lando Norris secured the second. Norris was the only driver to get within three-tenths of Verstappen before Russell posted a time close to his, and Hamilton improved to within 0.270 seconds of Verstappen.

Verstappen then bettered his time to 1’27″233 on soft tyres. Russell remained on mediums but managed to close to within 0.273 seconds of the Dutchman. Carlos Sainz provisionally secured the third-fastest time in a tightly packed group, ahead of Hamilton and Norris.

On soft tyres, Fernando Alonso posted the second-fastest time, with Alex Albon taking the fourth. Valtteri Bottas did even better, claiming the second position, 0.148 seconds behind Verstappen, while Guanyu Zhou placed seventh and Logan Sargeant tenth.

Sainz narrowly missed Verstappen’s time by 16 thousandths of a second, but Leclerc surpassed it with a 1’27″150. Nico Hülkenberg surprised everyone with a 1’26″990, while Lance Stroll slotted just ahead of Alonso minutes earlier.

Oscar Piastri brought his McLaren to the top of the session with a time of 1’26″880. Hamilton climbed to fourth, before Norris asserted dominance with a 1’26″549, relegating Piastri by three-tenths, and the trio of Leclerc-Hamilton-Verstappen by six-tenths. Verstappen made an error at Chapel on his quick lap.

Absent from the first session, replaced by Isack Hadjar, Sergio Pérez took the third time behind the McLarens. Drivers then began long stints to prepare for qualifying.

However, this work was cut short as rain was forecast to hit the British circuit before the end of the session, causing times to remain static until the end.

Rain arrived on the circuit with just over five minutes remaining, halting long runs. A deluge followed, with Pérez, Russell, and Ricciardo venturing out on intermediate tyres. Pérez, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, Hamilton, Sainz, Tsunoda, and Magnussen joined them for practice starts.

Norris concluded the session with the fastest time, remaining unbeaten throughout the day. Piastri was second, followed by Pérez and the surprising Hülkenberg. Leclerc was next, ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, then Sainz, Stroll, and Russell. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finished 15th and 16th.

Norris stands alone at the top, while Kevin Magnussen lagged in 20th place. Conversely, the rest of the times were very close, with less than a second separating Piastri in second and Guanyu Zhou in 18th.

• You may also like>Free Practice 1 : Norris Leads Stroll and Piastri
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Tight Margins at Silverstone: Norris Leads, Hülkenberg Surprises Tight Margins at Silverstone: Norris Leads, Hülkenberg Surprises