Kimi Antonelli topped second practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on Friday afternoon at the new Madring circuit. Arvid Lindblad crashed during the session.
Antonelli set the fastest lap around the halfway mark in the second one-hour session as drivers and teams kept adjusting their setups on the demanding circuit in Madrid. The 5.4km track, which mixes street sections with a purpose-built loop featuring several high-speed corners, proved difficult from the start. With almost no runoff, teams began the weekend cautiously in first practice, sacrificing lap time as drivers built rhythm and muscle memory. In FP2, drivers started pushing harder, though lap times did not drop as much as expected despite better grip.
Championship leader Antonelli led early on medium tyres with a 1m34.428s lap, which was soon beaten by Max Verstappen. Drivers struggled to keep their cars away from the walls and find clear air on the narrow, concrete-lined roads. Turn 17's right-hander was especially tricky, with several drivers running wide on exit and triggering track limit offences.
Antonelli soon reclaimed the lead with a 1m33.926s lap, with teammate George Russell within a tenth. At the halfway mark, most drivers switched to the softest tyres, which proved hard to keep in the optimal temperature range as the constant lateral loads worked Pirelli's rubber hard. Antonelli set a 1m33.662s to go top. Russell could not immediately respond, with Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc slotting into second and third, and Racing Bull's Lindblad an eye-catching fourth.
Shortly after, Lindblad slid into the barriers at Turn 13, a medium-speed left-hander. He escaped unharmed as the session was red-flagged with 25 minutes left. Marshals rushed to repair the TecPro barrier. No further changes at the top occurred, confirming Antonelli's lead ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton. Lindblad remained fourth, with Russell and Verstappen fifth and sixth. Oscar Piastri was seventh for McLaren after a difficult day for the reigning champions. His teammate Lando Norris disappeared into the garage after just two laps with a transmission issue, forcing a gearbox change.
Yuki Tsunoda, making his third appearance of the season as Isack Hadjar recovers from a wrist injury, was eighth in the Racing Bulls car. Haas driver Esteban Ocon and Red Bull's Liam Lawson completed the top 10. As expected, crowd favourites Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were quiet, finishing 16th and 17th. Alonso had a delayed start as Aston Martin repaired a clutch issue.
Source: www.autosport.com — Read the original article
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