Italian GP: Lando Norris fastest in FP2 as FIA launches Oscar Piastri investigation

Oliver Harden 05 Sep 2025 5:02 PM

An action shot of Lando Norris's McLaren on track at Monza

Lando Norris (McLaren MCL39) in action in FP2 at Monza

McLaren driver Lando Norris set the pace in the second free practice session (FP2) at Monza ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

Norris clocked a fastest time of 1:19.878, pipping Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to top spot by 0.083 seconds. Carlos Sainz was third for Williams.

Italian GP: Lando Norris fastest in FP2 as Oscar Piastri faces FIA investigation

Late-summer sunshine greeted the drivers at the start of FP2 at Monza.

George Russell clocked the first timed lap on hard tyres with the Mercedes driver wasting no time after his stoppage at the end of FP1.

Max Verstappen and Russell traded fastest laps in the opening minutes before first Oscar Piastri and then Norris reassumed McLaren’s dominance.

That came just moments after Piastri reported that his right-hand mirror was cracked, with the championship leader declaring himself fine to continue.

McLaren’s mirror woes were not limited to one car, with teammate Norris losing his right mirror completely.

Oscar Piastri vs Lando Norris: McLaren head-to-head scores for F1 2025

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Pierre Gasly had a trip through the gravel at Ascari in his Alpine, with Lewis Hamilton – fastest of all in FP1 but carrying a five-place grid penalty into this race – throwing up his hand in frustration after encountering a slow-moving Alex Albon at the first chicane.

The red flag was thrown just 10 minutes into the session was Andrea Kimi Antonelli spun his Mercedes into the gravel at Lesmo 2.

“I’m beached,” Antonelli reported over team radio. “Sorry about that.”

Gabriel Bortoleto and Piastri also had wide moments at Lesmo 2 upon the resumption of the session, kicking up a huge amount of gravel in the process.

It was announced that Piastri would be investigated after the session for failing to follow the race director’s instructions, with Bortoleto noted for a yellow-flag infringement.

Piastri escaped with a reprimand after entering the pit lane before the FIA communicated an official restart time, with Bortoleto avoiding further action.

The Lesmos were proving tricky for others, with Albon catching a dramatic slide on the exit of Lesmo 1.

“Big off, Albon said over team radio. “Just check the floor.”

At the top of the timesheets, Verstappen briefly went fastest of all before Sainz’s Williams went 0.127s faster on the same tyre.

Albon soon recovered from his slide to go third and confirm the team’s potential at Monza, having scored points in Italy in every season since 2021.

Norris was the next to have a scare, hitting the kerb too aggressively in the second part of the second chicane and dipping a wheel in the gravel as he lost the rear on exit.

The McLaren driver responded on his very next lap on softs by setting a fastest second and third sector en route to top spot.

The fastest first sector of all belonged at that stage to Sainz, who crossed the line seconds later on the same tyre but trailed Norris by 0.398s.

Albon and Nico Hulkenberg soon slotted themselves into the inviting gap between Norris and Sainz’s times before Hamilton went second with a new fastest first sector.

He was soon bettered again by Sainz, who reduced Norris’s advantage to 0.096s with his next flyer.

Leclerc was miffed to be around 4.s adrift of Hamilton’s pace on the right tyre, telling Ferrari over team radio: “No grip at all. Like, zero.”

Verstappen struggled on his soft lap, complaining of the RB21 feeling “nervous” over the bumps after abandoning his first soft lap.

He said over team radio: “Oh ****, I lost the rear. The car is becoming really jumpy. It’s really nervous on every little jump.”

The reigning world champion improved to fifth with his next effort, trailing Norris by 0.199s.

Meanwhile, Lance Stroll was frustrated to find a slow-moving Albon in the middle of Ascari: “Ah, come on. **** unbelievable. Every time!”

As others began to pit ahead of the long runs, Leclerc improved to second with another lap on softs, falling 0.083s short of Norris’s benchmark.

Leclerc’s troubles continued into the long runs as he became the latest to skate through the gravel at Ascari after locking up under braking.

Hamilton reported a potential reliability concern with 10 minutes of the session remaining, telling Ferrari: “Power keeps dropping out between Turns 6 and 7.”

The seven-time world champion ran wide also ran wide at Lesmo 2 and kicked up yet more gravel in front of Verstappen.

“Ferrari went off ahead of me,” Verstappen said over team radio. “I had to avoid the gravel.”