In the second practice session, Russell sends Verstappen soaring.
In an unexpected turn of events, Max Verstappen displayed some vulnerabilities in front of his home crowd during the second free practice session for Formula 1 in Zandvoort. The Dutch powerhouse only managed to secure the fifth spot on the leaderboard, leaving room for improvement before the race on Sunday (3:00 PM, on Sky and live on ntv.de).
Conversely, George Russell, racing for Mercedes, left all competitors trailing in his wake during this practice session. He set the day's fastest lap time of 1:10.702 minutes, outpacing fellow racers such as Oscar Piastri from Australia, driving for McLaren, and Russell's British teammate Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris from Great Britain also made the top five in the second McLaren. Verstappen found himself trailing them by a margin of 0.284 seconds.
Early in the session, Nico Hülkenberg (Emmerich), driving for Haas, suffered an unfortunate incident that resulted in a crash and rear-end impact with the barrier. Thankfully, he emerged unscathed but was unable to continue, ultimately placing last in 20th position. Verstappen's Red Bull Racing teammate, Sergio Perez from Mexico, finished 11th, while Ferrari faced challenges as well. Charles Leclerc from Monaco managed a disappointing ninth-place finish, and Carlos Sainz from Spain had to retire his vehicle due to gearbox problems after only seven laps.
The weather conditions improved significantly during the second practice compared to the morning's rain and storms. The sun was shining brightly, and the wind had subsided, paving the way for better racing conditions that are expected to prevail during the race on Sunday. However, the forecast for Saturday, when qualifying is scheduled for 3:00 PM, predicts heavy rain with minimal wind, which adds an extra layer of challenge to the upcoming events.
Despite his teammate's struggles, Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing still aims to bounce back in qualifying, given the predicted heavy rain on Saturday. Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing's main rival, Mercedes, continues to impress; George Russell, driving for Mercedes, maintains his form and looks poised to challenge Verstappen in the qualifying session as well.
