Lando Norris topped the timesheets for McLaren in Friday’s second practice session at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda suffered a dramatic crash late in the day.
Tsunoda, who recently stepped into the Red Bull seat vacated by Liam Lawson, lost control at the final corner of the Jeddah Street Circuit. After clipping the inside wall, the Japanese driver was launched into the barriers on the outside, bringing an abrupt end to the session’s long-run simulations.
Norris led a dominant McLaren performance, clocking a time 0.163 seconds quicker than teammate Oscar Piastri. The pair continued to show strong pace after also impressing during the first practice session, where Norris was again among the frontrunners.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the defending world champion, trailed in third, 0.280 seconds off the Briton’s best lap. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in fourth, with Williams’ Carlos Sainz, Tsunoda, and Mercedes’ George Russell rounding out the top seven.
While Tsunoda’s crash disrupted the latter part of the session, Piastri and Verstappen completed enough laps on heavy fuel to hint that McLaren’s edge may be even stronger over race distance than in single-lap pace.
Norris, who currently leads Piastri by three points in the drivers’ championship, also impressed in the opening session, where Alpine’s Pierre Gasly unexpectedly topped the timesheets. Still, Norris emerged as the fastest of the main contenders, with Leclerc and Piastri close behind.
McLaren’s pace has sent a clear signal heading into qualifying and Sunday’s race, with both Norris and Piastri looking strong across short and long runs. If the form continues, McLaren could be poised for a big result in Jeddah.
