Dutch GP: George Russell puts Mercedes P1 as Max Verstappen misses top three

Max Verstappen slipped to P5 in a very competitive second hour of practice at the Dutch Grand Prix, topped by George Russell.

The qualifying simulations with the soft tyres saw Russell win out, his 1:10.702 putting him P1, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri just 0.06s behind. Russell’s Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton completed the top three with Verstappen down in P5, though it was a top five covered by less than three-tenths.

George Russell tops FP2 at Dutch Grand Prix.

After the wind and rain which battered Zandvoort for the early stages of FP1, blue skies greeted the drivers for the second hour of practice, though a stiff breeze still remained, something that would need to be kept in mind.

And it took mere minutes for the competition to get going, as George Russell, Valtteri Bottas and Logan Sargeant went at it in the squabble for track position, while Oscar Piastri was requesting to pit for a new helmet, his vision basically zero through that visor.

No such troubles for Verstappen, who established an early lead on a 1:12.131, with Piastri’s McLaren team-mate Lando Norris P2, that a reverse of the top two from the morning session as Verstappen and Norris quickly got back to it. Norris was seven-tenths back, he and Verstappen setting their opening laps on the mediums.

Russell would suffer a “little bit strange” lock-up into the Turn 9 gravel, while Sergio Perez found the trap at Turn 1, both escaping and getting back on their way. Verstappen had a rear snap out of Turn 7 but managed to avoid the gravel, as he called to return to the pits.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also did well to keep it out the gravel as he locked-up at Turn 1, the conditions clearly very tricky in that opening quarter of the session.

Russell soon got himself back up and running as Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton made it a two-pronged attack on the top of the timings, Hamilton going three-tenths clear of Verstappen as Russell slotted into P3 with half a second to make up on Hamilton.

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Nico Hulkenberg was another driver who suffered from handling issues in FP1, those returning in FP2 as he spun at the entry Turn 1, skidded through the gravel and found the wall. Thankfully completely unhurt, he exclaimed over team radio: “I don’t know what happened there” as the red flags briefly came out to neutralise the session.

The track returned to green with 38 minutes still remaining, as Verstappen returned to the circuit armed with red-striped soft tyres. Norris did the same.

And Norris won that opening softs battle by the mere margin of 0.025s.

Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant were also going very strong in the heavily-upgraded Williams, P4 and P5 briefly, but each demoted a spot as Piastri shot up to P1 on a 1:10.763, putting him two-tenths up on Norris.

Speaking of Williams, disaster had struck for their F1 2025 recruit Carlos Sainz, as Ferrari confirmed that a gearbox issue meant it was session over for the Spaniard, who was stuck in seventh gear.

But Mercedes still had both cars in the fight, Russell going P1 and Hamilton P3 on their attempts with the soft rubber, leaving less than three-tenths covering the top five. Hamilton and Norris even brushed wheels on an out-lap during that run, as Norris weaved his way through the two Mercedes cars.

As we moved into the second-half of FP2, drivers transitioned into race simulation mode, Verstappen getting the ball rolling as he returned to the mediums, while Russell was asking Mercedes to check the floor after a rough ride over the kerbs at Turn 13.

The stewards were also busy as a pair of potential unsafe released were picked up for post-session investigation, involving Alex Albon and Lance Stroll, then Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu.

Leclerc meanwhile was practicing his overtaking as he sent it down the inside of Sergio Perez at Turn 1, locking up the front-right for extra effect, while Piastri was doing the same on Pierre Gasly, a lovely move into the chicane as FP2 reached its conclusion with Russell on top from Piastri and Hamilton.

FP2 times

1 George Russell Mercedes 1:10.702
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.061
3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.111
4 Lando Norris McLaren +0.259
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.284
6 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.655
7 Yuki Tsunoda RB +0.672
8 Kevin Magnussen Haas F1 Team +0.728
9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.741
10 Alexander Albon Williams +0.848
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +0.874
12 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.879
13 Daniel Ricciardo RB +0.928
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.942
15 Logan Sargeant Williams +1.116
16 Guanyu Zhou Kick Sauber +1.232
17 Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.359
18 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber +1.504
19 Carlos Sainz Ferrari +2.406
20 Nico Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team +2.594

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