Oscar Piastri laid down a marker in Barcelona by clocking the fastest time in FP2 at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, outpacing George Russell and Max Verstappen by nearly three-tenths of a second.
The McLaren driver delivered a standout performance in hot and humid conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, setting a 1:12.760 on soft tyres. His time comfortably put him ahead of George Russell in the Mercedes, who posted a 1:13.046, while Max Verstappen and Lando Norris both clocked 1:13.070, with Verstappen claiming third by virtue of setting his lap first.
The day began with Norris topping the timesheets in FP1, but it was Piastri who took control in the second session. Esteban Ocon returned to action after handing his Haas over to Ryo Hirakawa earlier in the day, while Franco Colapinto was also quickly back on track following Alpine’s repair of a hydraulic issue that cut short his FP1.
All 20 drivers appeared early in the session, most on the medium C2 compound. Ollie Bearman had a scare at Turn 3 with a spin through the gravel, sidelining him for a good portion of the session as his Haas team conducted repairs.
Piastri takes control as soft tyre runs begin
George Russell led the early pace-setters with a strong lap on softs, just ahead of teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes looked to rebound from a difficult Monaco weekend. Fernando Alonso was not pleased during qualifying simulations, calling out Lewis Hamilton over team radio: “We have the hero of the day in front of us.”
As qualifying simulations intensified, Norris fell just short of Russell’s mark and matched Verstappen’s lap time exactly. But it was Piastri who emerged quickest, taking full advantage of a clear lap to clock the session-best time halfway through FP2.
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Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fifth, over half a second back, after a scruffy flying lap that included a slide. Meanwhile, Hamilton struggled and ended the session 11th, eight-tenths adrift of the lead pace.
Verstappen had a brief moment when taking a tow from Leclerc, who accelerated to avoid running in dirty air, prompting a sarcastic laugh from the Red Bull driver.
As long runs dominated the closing stages, there were no improvements to the leaderboard. Behind Leclerc and Antonelli came Alonso in seventh, with Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson rounding out the top ten.
Bearman returned late but was limited to 19th, just ahead of Colapinto. The bottom five also included Gabriel Bortoleto, Ocon, and Lance Stroll, who couldn’t match teammate Alonso’s pace.
With just one session left before qualifying, the data from Friday’s runs will be crucial in shaping strategy for the rest of the weekend.
