Norris leads British FP2 as Ferrari maintains strong pace

After Lewis Hamilton led FP1 for Ferrari earlier in the day, Norris vaulted to the top of the timesheets in FP2 with a time of 1m25.816, good enough to beat both Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton.

Ferrari will be encouraged by their Friday form, with both Hamilton and Leclerc finishing inside the top four in each session. In FP2, they were only 0.222s and 0.301s behind Norris, respectively.

They also finished ahead of the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, who took fourth place in the session.

The Aussie narrowly edged out Max Verstappen in fifth, while Kimi Antonelli placed sixth for Mercedes.

As has become common on Fridays during a Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen was vocal about performance concerns, particularly with the front tyres.

“Have you seen my front tyres in the high speed?! They just don’t respond!” the Dutchman exclaimed over team radio.

Lance Stroll delivered an impressive lap to finish seventh after being fitted with the same upgraded floor that teammate Fernando Alonso trialled in FP1. He ended the session ahead of the second Mercedes of George Russell, while Racing Bulls teammates Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson both finished in the top ten for the second time on Friday.

On a sunny afternoon at Silverstone, several drivers reported gusty winds as a factor, with Carlos Sainz suffering a half-spin and asking his team if wind had contributed to the moment.

Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, who narrowly avoided contact with Sainz as the Spaniard rejoined the track, also raised concerns about the wind.

The incident has been noted by the stewards, with Sainz summoned to explain the near collision.

Action resumes at Silverstone on Saturday, with FP3 taking place at 11:30am local time (8:30pm AEST).