Kimi Antonelli delivered a statement performance during the second practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix, ending Friday at the top of the timing sheets at the new Madring circuit. The Mercedes driver produced a rapid 1:33.662 to finish ahead of Ferrariās Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with just 0.113 seconds separating him from Leclerc.
Antonelliās advantage came after the track began to evolve significantly, with drivers finding more grip as the newly laid surface improved. Leclerc had briefly taken control of the session and came extremely close to reclaiming the top spot, but Antonelliās earlier benchmark remained untouched after the session was interrupted by a red flag.
The stoppage was caused by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad, who lost control at Turn 13 while pushing for a quicker lap and crashed into the barriers. Before the incident, Lindblad had impressed with strong pace through the opening sector and was running only around two-tenths away from Antonelliās leading time. He ultimately finished fourth, ahead of George Russell.
Ferrari also showed strong speed, with Leclerc second and Hamilton third, while Russell completed the top five. Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri followed, although McLaren endured a difficult session, with Lando Norris spending much of the afternoon in the garage after a gearbox change. Piastri, meanwhile, struggled with rear grip despite making progress on the soft tyres.
Fernando Alonso also faced problems after Aston Martin confirmed that a clutch issue from FP1 prevented him from taking part at the beginning of FP2. With Fridayās running now complete, teams will study their data overnight before returning for FP3 on Saturday. With the field separated by small margins at the front, the final practice session could provide another major shift in the competitive order ahead of qua
lifying.
