Charles Leclerc headed a Ferrari 1-2 during second practice for Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix as runaway title leaders Red Bull had a subdued session.
Ferrari driver Leclerc beat team-mate Carlos Sainz first spot by just 0.004s after clocking a time of 1:12.345s as the field carried out qualifying simulations at a hot and sunny Zandvoort.
Lewis Hamilton maintained Mercedes’ encouraging pace by finishing third overall, just 0.072s behind pacesetter Leclerc, as he bids to rebound from a lacklustre weekend in Belgium.
Lando Norris put McLaren in the mix for the leading positions by winding up fourth, on a day in which Oscar Piastri was finally confirmed as his 2023 team-mate.
The FIA’s Contract Recognition Board found in favour of Piastri and McLaren, freeing the Australian’s multi-year deal to be communicated.
George Russell was fifth for Mercedes, three-tenths behind Leclerc, while Lance Stroll was an eye-catching sixth for Aston Martin.
Outgoing Alpine racer Fernando Alonso finished behind his future team-mate in seventh spot.
Reigning World Champion Max Verstappen concluded a low-key day in eighth place in front of his enthusiastic home supporters.
Verstappen’s first session was truncated by a gearbox issue and after the second session he was only eighth-best at a track where he dominated upon its comeback in 2021.
Verstappen’s quickest time was almost seven-tenths slower than Leclerc’s benchmark.
His team-mate Sergio Perez languished down in 12th spot.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was ninth while Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top 10 for McLaren.
Ricciardo completed the fewest laps of the participants as an oil leak brought his session to a premature conclusion.
AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda caused a 10-minute red flag during the final quarter of the session when he spun off at Turn 10.
He wound up 11th overall as the lead AlphaTauri driver, with Pierre Gasly down in 16th spot.
Mick Schumacher, facing an uncertain future, was the quicker of the Haas drivers as he classified in 13th place, ahead of compatriot Sebastian Vettel and rookie Zhou Guanyu.
Alex Albon clung to the rear of the midfield in 17th spot, in front of Valtteri Bottas, while Kevin Magnussen finished 19th, as Nicholas Latifi rounded out the pecking order.
Saturday’s final one-hour practice session is scheduled for 12:00 local time
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