Charles Leclerc secured first place in the second free practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort with a best time of 1:12.345 minutes. The field was close together at the end of the session: Lando Norris (McLaren) in P4 was just 0.103 seconds behind, and apart from Nicholas Latifi (20th / Williams) all drivers were within two seconds.
In both Friday training sessions in Zandvoort it became apparent that the balance of power could be completely different than a week ago in Spa. Zandvoort is considered a classic high-downforce track with tight, winding corners, and the top speed, often Red Bull’s great strength in 2022, only plays a secondary role.
Carlos Sainz finished second, 0.004s off Leclerc, rounding out a double best time for Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton (+0.072) in third confirmed that Mercedes’ double best time in FP1 was no coincidence.
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) was able to drive from the start in the second practice session, despite the gearbox problem in the previous session. The local hero finished eighth, 0.697 seconds down, behind drivers such as George Russell (5th/Mercedes), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine).
Sergio Pérez, who is running with a different underbody than teammate Verstappen this weekend, was 12th. His gap in the team internal comparison: 0.451 seconds. But Pérez, as Helmut Marko had already emphasized after FT1, often needs longer on Friday to get up to speed.
Mick Schumacher succeeds partially
A good ten minutes before the end, the session had to be interrupted for a few minutes. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) was stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 10 after a slip. The Japanese had completed 19 laps with a best time of 1:13.419 minutes and ultimately finished eleventh.
Mick Schumacher (Haas) was 13th, 1.259 seconds back, 0.678 seconds faster than Kevin Magnussen (19th). An important partial success with a view to 2023. The second German in the field, Sebastian Vettel, finished 14th. He was slower than his teammate Stroll (6th), by 0.865 seconds.