Leclerc tops second practice at Sepang as Mercedes misses its fast laps
Hadjar is 0.099 seconds back, McLaren jumps to third and sixth, and Mercedes loses both fast laps to track excursions.
Charles Leclerc was fastest in second practice at Sepang with a 1:37.528, just 0.099 seconds ahead of Isack Hadjar. The rain that had a 90 percent chance in the forecast never came, so all teams got the dry running they needed for their qualifying and race simulations.
The top six were covered by less than four tenths. Lando Norris was third for McLaren, Max Verstappen fourth, Lewis Hamilton fifth and Oscar Piastri sixth. Mercedes, with its big new upgrade, was only seventh and eighth with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, around half a second off the pace.
Eight thousandths slower than Verstappen this morning
Leclerc’s best lap was 0.008 seconds slower than the 1:37.520 that Verstappen set in first practice. In the heat of the afternoon, the track did not get faster, and tyre wear on the abrasive surface remained the main theme for the teams.
Hadjar was again the quicker Red Bull on one lap, but the car was not easy to drive. Both drivers complained on the radio about bouncing and oscillations, Hadjar under braking and Verstappen at the rear. According to RACER, Verstappen ran the whole session on the medium tyre, so his fourth place, 0.257 seconds down, says little about his real one-lap pace.
Hadjar’s second place comes with the same catch as on Friday morning: he takes a five-place grid penalty this weekend for new power unit components.
McLaren from eleventh to third
After 11th and 12th in first practice, McLaren was back where it usually is. Norris was third, only 0.137 seconds off Leclerc, and Piastri sixth. As we wrote after FP1, McLaren often runs its own programme on a Friday morning and saves the quick laps for later in the day.
Mercedes loses its fast laps
For Mercedes it was a frustrating session. Russell ran wide at turn 15 on his push lap on the soft tyre and had to abandon it, and Antonelli lost his lap with a trip off the track at turn 14, RACER reported. Neither driver completed a clean qualifying simulation, which leaves Russell 0.492 and Antonelli 0.532 seconds behind Leclerc.
That means the team still does not know how fast its new package is over one lap. The seven-part upgrade, with a new floor, rear suspension and bodywork, made its debut this morning. The engine step is not part of it and is expected around the US Grand Prix in Austin. How tyre wear works in heat like this is explained in our tyre degradation explainer.
The session finished under a virtual safety car: Gabriel Bortoleto stopped his Audi on track with about three minutes left, which brought out a virtual safety car. Franco Colapinto was last, more than five seconds off the pace.
Second practice classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:37.528 | – |
| 2 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:37.627 | +0.099 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37.665 | +0.137 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:37.785 | +0.257 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:37.833 | +0.305 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:37.899 | +0.371 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:38.020 | +0.492 |
| 8 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:38.060 | +0.532 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:38.496 | +0.968 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:38.588 | +1.060 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:38.880 | +1.352 |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:39.051 | +1.523 |
| 13 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:39.109 | +1.581 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:39.361 | +1.833 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:39.478 | +1.950 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:39.706 | +2.178 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:39.930 | +2.402 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:40.150 | +2.622 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:40.186 | +2.658 |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:40.221 | +2.693 |
| 21 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:40.938 | +3.410 |
| 22 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:43.391 | +5.863 |
Gap to the fastest time. The official Formula1.com classification was not yet published at the time of writing; times as reported by Motorsport Week and RACER.
Our doubt
On the timesheet, Mercedes looks like the fourth team at Sepang. We doubt that is the full picture. Both drivers lost their fast laps through mistakes, not through a lack of grip, and half a second is roughly what a lap with two corners run wide costs.
The real question is the long runs. In first practice Mercedes was clearly slower than Red Bull and Ferrari over a stint, and the heat at Sepang punishes any car that is hard on its tyres. If that does not change on Saturday morning, the upgrade will need more than one weekend, as we predicted before the weekend. Up front, Ferrari and McLaren have joined Red Bull in what now looks like a three-team fight for pole.
Who takes pole position at Sepang: Leclerc, Verstappen or one of the McLarens? Tell us in the comments.
Final practice and qualifying on Saturday
The last free practice and qualifying follow on Saturday, with thunderstorms still possible in the afternoon. All session times and background on the circuit are in our Sepang guide. Follow the weekend on our live blog and check the F1 standings.
