McLaren driver Lando Norris finished Friday evening’s second practice session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix fastest, with a crash for Yuki Tsunoda bringing out the red flags in the closing stages.

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Having just missed out on top spot in Free Practice 1, Drivers’ Championship leader Norris hovered towards the top of the times throughout FP2.

Tsunoda claimed sixth but finished the session in the barrier at the final turn after the Red Bull driver clipped the wall on the inside, breaking his suspension which sent him into the barrier on the exit. The end of the red flag period left just over a minute remaining, with drivers scrambling out to take practice starts but not altering the order.

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"I just turned into a margin and clipped the wall inside the wheel," he said, explaining the incident that left his car damaged and him with no control. Despite the early exit, Tsunoda remained upbeat about the car's pace. He said, "Confidence level was pretty good... pace was looking good, so yeah, shame."

Meanwhile, it was a frustrating FP2 for Gabriel, who missed the session entirely due to a fuel leak. “Definitely not ideal,” he said, particularly given this is his first time tackling one of the fastest tracks on the calendar in an F1 car. Despite the setback, Gabriel maintained perspective. “It happens... now I will listen to what Nico has to say and we move on.”

'A bit of a messy one'

Mercedes driver George Russell described the session as “a bit of a messy one,” with fewer laps than anticipated and a step back in performance compared to FP1. However, some experimentation between him and teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli provided valuable insight. “We tried some things... got a bit of a direction from that.” 

McLaren's Oscar Piastri had a relatively smooth Friday, carrying forward his strong form from Bahrain. “It was a decent day,” he said, adding that while a few corners still need refinement, he’s “feeling confident for tomorrow.” McLaren looked quick throughout both sessions, and Piastri echoed the belief that there’s still more to extract come qualifying.

Max Verstappen, ever the perfectionist, wasn’t fully satisfied despite ending FP2 in the top three. “We tried some different things… learned a lot,” he said. The long runs, however, were 'very tough', suggesting Red Bull still has homework to do overnight. 

With McLaren once again looking sharp, Red Bull hunting for answers, and several drivers — both veterans and rookies — dealing with mixed fortunes, qualifying promises to be a tightly fought affair.