ZANDVOORT, The Netherlands — Mercedes driver George Russell topped the speed charts during Friday’s second practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix at the Zandvoort circuit.
Russell turned a best lap of 1:10.702 to outrun McLaren wheelman Oscar Piastri by .061 seconds.
“It was good to get back in the car and into the swing of things with the first day of running here in Zandvoort,” Russell said. “It was difficult out there due to the windy conditions. It is perhaps the windiest conditions I can remember driving an F1 car in over the past few years. Nevertheless, the car was performing really well and the updated floor we brought to Spa seemed to be working effectively.
“The pack at the front seems to be quite close once again. We expect to be facing another fascinating battle across the rest of the weekend for the podium spots. That said, it could all be very different tomorrow as the conditions likely change once again. I’m excited to get back in the car tomorrow and see what we can do.”
Russell’s Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, was third on the charts, while the other McLaren driver, Lando Norris, was fourth.
Max Verstappen turned the fifth-best lap aboard his Red Bull machine during practice for his home country Grand Prix, which he has won every year since 2021.
Fernando Alonso, Tuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen, Charles Leclerc and Alexander Albon rounded out the top 10.