2024 F1 Round 12, British GP FP2: Norris leads again in 1m26.549s as McLaren take a one-two, more than a tenth faster than Verstappen’s pole lap from last year

Second free practice for Round 12 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the British Grand Prix, concluded at Silverstone at midnight on 6 July China time (UTC+8). McLaren’s Lando Norris led again with a 1m26.549s lap, more than a tenth faster than Verstappen’s pole time at the same circuit the previous year. Team-mate Oscar Piastri followed 0.331s behind, completing a McLaren one-two.

Perez, back in the Red Bull after handing it over to Hadjar, was third, 0.434s off the pace. Verstappen completed his soft-tyre timed lap 10 to 15 minutes earlier than his rivals and missed out on the benefit of the improving track, leaving him seventh, 0.684s behind. He admitted afterwards that his second run on softs had not gone well. The team needed to analyse the data overnight and decide where to improve for Saturday, while also allowing for the possibility of rain.

The heavily upgraded Haas VF-24 continued to impress, with Hulkenberg beating Ferrari’s Leclerc to fourth. Hamilton was sixth and Russell 10th, with neither Mercedes running at full performance. Norris also pointed out that his rivals had not been using full engine power, so his advantage might not be secure. Sainz and Stroll finished eighth and ninth.

Sauber stood out most in the midfield. The team, which had failed to score in the opening 11 rounds, saw Bottas set the 12th-fastest time, ahead of the RBs, Alpines and Williams cars. Tsunoda completed a substantial test programme of 26 laps and was 16th, only about a hundredth behind an Alpine driver. Team-mate Ricciardo was 19th, 0.171s slower than Tsunoda.

Practice took place under cloudy skies, with an air temperature of 19°C and a track temperature of 28°C. Third free practice was scheduled for 18:30 China time (UTC+8) on 6 July.