Lando Norris set the pace in Las Vegas FP2, topping a chaotic second practice session that included rain, two red flags and a late mechanical scare for Charles Leclerc. The championship leader looked confident throughout, ending the night with a 1m 33.602s as McLaren finally showed the speed they lacked earlier in the day.
The opening laps were hesitant. Light rain had brushed the Strip Circuit between FP1 and FP2, and the cold night conditions made grip almost impossible to find. The first five minutes passed in silence before drivers cautiously ventured out on slicks. Ollie Bearman summed up the mood on the radio, saying the track felt slippery and unpredictable.
The times began to fall as confidence grew. Lewis Hamilton briefly led the way with a 1m 35.338s, surviving a close call with Nico Hulkenberg while diving into Turn 14. Then McLaren finally woke up. Norris and Oscar Piastri jumped to the top before George Russell delivered a strong 1m 34.430s, the fastest time of the day up to that point.
Norris became the first driver to break into the 1m 33s with a 1m 33.943s, although he immediately followed it with a big lock-up at Turn 14. Leclerc hit back with a 1m 33.763s, but qualifying simulations on the soft tyre shifted the momentum again. Kimi Antonelli briefly went quickest before Norris reclaimed P1 with his final 1m 33.602s.
Just as the session reached its most intense phase, the red flags appeared for track maintenance. When the clock restarted with only five minutes left, the pit lane exploded into action as teams rushed to squeeze in one final attempt.
Drama returned almost instantly. Leclerc pulled off the circuit with a suspected gearbox problem after being told not to shift by his engineer. Before anyone could complete a final flying lap, a second red flag ended the session prematurely.
It left Norris at the top, 0.029s clear of Antonelli. Leclerc held on to third with a strong time on the medium tyre, followed by Hulkenberg and the Racing Bulls pair of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar. Russell, Alex Albon, Max Verstappen and Hamilton rounded out the top ten.
Piastri struggled in fourteenth, never getting a run on the soft tyre because of the red flag disruptions. Tsunoda, Colapinto, Bearman, Alonso, Ocon and Bortoleto completed the order.
While FP2 delivered more questions than answers, one thing is clear as Las Vegas heads into qualifying day: McLaren are back on the front foot, Mercedes look competitive and Ferrari have reliability concerns they did not expect. Under the bright lights of the Strip, momentum can shift in an instant.
