Hamilton Leads FP2 as Red Bull Stays Cautious

Hamilton tops FP2, Norris impresses, while Red Bull refrains from pushing as frigid Vegas night tests drivers and machines alike.

After a first session dominated by the Mercedes F1 drivers, the Las Vegas Grand Prix continued with FP2, held at 10 p.m. local time in Las Vegas, or 7 a.m. in France.

With these timings, the latter part of November proved challenging in the Nevada desert. Drivers faced an air temperature of 10 degrees and asphalt barely warmer at 13 degrees.

George Russell complained about cold air entering his helmet, while Sergio Pérez requested a helmet with fewer vents during his second run, as he too felt cold.

Russell set the initial benchmark with a 1’36.482, ahead of Oscar Piastri’s 1’36.779. Lewis Hamilton improved with a 1’35.805, before Lando Norris topped that with a 1’35.406.

Russell raised the stakes with successive best laps, clocking 1’34.979 and then 1’34.657. Charles Leclerc entered the fray, posting two strong times: a 1’34.605 followed by a 1’34.476.

Max Verstappen missed a corner, continuing to struggle for comfort in his RB20. Russell switched to soft tires and naturally improved, recording a 1’34.015.

Hamilton moved into second, two-tenths behind his teammate, before Carlos Sainz bettered it, coming within 0.090 seconds of the top time. Pierre Gasly was briefly held up by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

Norris, on soft tires, took the lead with a 1’33.836, the best time of the day and the first sub-1’34 lap. A yellow flag followed Guanyu Zhou’s harmless off-track excursion. Hamilton then edged Norris with a 1’33.825.

Shortly after, with less than 25 minutes remaining, the red flag was deployed as Alex Albon was forced to stop on track. The Williams driver had missed the start of the session due to a fuel system issue, and his FW46 suffered a failure, prompting race control to halt the session.

The remainder of the session was calm and focused, with drivers concentrating on long runs in preparation for Sunday morning’s race at 7 a.m. French time. A couple of minor off-track excursions barely disrupted the proceedings.

Hamilton set the fastest time in FP2, remaining unbeaten on the opening day. He led Norris and Russell, followed by the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc. Pierre Gasly was sixth ahead of Kevin Magnussen, highlighting the battle between Alpine and Haas for sixth place in the championship.

Piastri finished eighth, followed by Nico Hülkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda, and Valtteri Bottas, who faces a five-place grid penalty. Esteban Ocon was 12th ahead of Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson, and Guanyu Zhou.

Max Verstappen ended the session in 17th, ahead of Franco Colapinto, Sergio Pérez, and Albon. However, Red Bull did not use soft tires during the session, leaving their true pace in the standings unclear.

• Discover More>Las Vegas, FP1: Hamilton leads a Mercedes F1 one-two
• Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.

Las Vegas FP2: Hamilton Dominates, Red Bull Holds Back
Las Vegas FP2: Hamilton Dominates, Red Bull Holds Back