In the second free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday, McLaren secured a dominant one-two finish. Lando Norris topped the timesheets ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, the current Formula 1 championship leader. Earlier in the day, George Russell of Mercedes had set the pace in the first practice.
Norris returned to his car for FP2 after Irish rookie and Formula 2 leader Alex Dunne made an impressive Formula 1 practice debut in the first session using Norris`s car. Despite the handover, the British driver quickly found his rhythm.
Following Russell`s leading time of 1:05.542 in FP1, Norris posted a benchmark lap of 1:04.580 in FP2. Piastri, who currently leads Norris by 22 points in the championship standings after 10 races, was 0.157 seconds adrift.
Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion from Red Bull and a five-time winner at their home circuit, was the third fastest driver, posting a time of 1:04.898.
Russell, who recently won the Canadian GP from pole, finished FP2 in sixth place. Aston Martin`s Lance Stroll was a notable fourth, just ahead of Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc in fifth.
For this weekend, Verstappen is working with Simon Rennie as his race engineer, as his usual engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is absent for personal reasons.
Rookie driver Alex Dunne was a highlight of the first practice session. Participating as part of McLaren`s requirement to give young drivers experience, the 19-year-old Irishman finished an impressive fourth, just 0.069 seconds behind Piastri.
At just 19 and the first Irish driver to participate in a GP weekend in 22 years, Dunne expressed his gratitude to the team over the radio at the end of the session. He described the experience as a “little boy`s dream come true” and “definitely the best day of my life,” thanking everyone involved, including Norris for “trusting me with his car.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella offered a word of caution regarding interpreting Dunne`s lap time too literally. Stella praised Dunne, stating he was “quite diligent and impressive” and showed “some speed,” noting that “no surprise, he is a fast driver.” He added, “I think we need to be a bit careful looking at the lap times, because his came later on in the stint when the fuel was down.” However, he concluded it was an “encouraging and impressive” session for Dunne and “a good session for McLaren.”
The Red Bull Ring circuit in Austria features the shortest lap time of the season. In the first practice, almost all drivers were within a second of Russell`s fastest time, except for Oliver Bearman in the Haas who finished 20th.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finished ninth in FP1 and tenth in FP2. Ferrari`s preparations seemed challenging, with mechanics working on both cars during the first session.
Hamilton also received a warning for impeding fellow Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Over the radio, Hamilton explained, “I didn`t see Antonelli,” after the Italian driver had to go off-track to avoid a potential collision.
Charles Leclerc did not participate in the first session; his place was taken by Ferrari reserve driver Dino Beganovic, who finished 18th.
Fernando Alonso experienced a significant spin in his Aston Martin but managed to keep the car away from the barriers.
Rupert Caldwell 
Tristan Blackwood