Max Verstappen once again showcased his dominance with the all-new Red Bull RB20, outperforming his closest competitor, Norris, by over a second in a session characterized by exceptional reliability and uninterrupted running.
As the day progressed, several teams opted for driver changes. Leclerc handed over the Ferrari to Sainz, while McLaren welcomed Norris into the cockpit.
Stroll assumed control of the Aston Martin, Gasly took Ocon’s place, and Sargeant, Zhou, Hulkenberg, and Ricciardo each took their turns, with only Verstappen and Russell continuing from the morning.
The start of the afternoon saw many drivers eagerly hitting the track, although Norris experienced a delayed start. Technical adjustments to the MCL38 kept him sidelined until 53 minutes into the session.
Once Norris took to the track and familiarized himself with the McLaren, he swiftly outpaced Verstappen, setting the fastest time shortly before the session’s midpoint.
Max Verstappen once again showcased his dominance with the all-new Red Bull RB20, outperforming his closest competitor, Norris, by over a second in a session characterized by exceptional reliability and uninterrupted running.
As the day progressed, several teams opted for driver changes. Leclerc handed over the Ferrari to Sainz, while McLaren welcomed Norris into the cockpit.
Stroll assumed control of the Aston Martin, Gasly took Ocon’s place, and Sargeant, Zhou, Hulkenberg, and Ricciardo each took their turns, with only Verstappen and Russell continuing from the morning.
The start of the afternoon saw many drivers eagerly hitting the track, although Norris experienced a delayed start. Technical adjustments to the MCL38 kept him sidelined until 53 minutes into the session.
Once Norris took to the track and familiarized himself with the McLaren, he swiftly outpaced Verstappen, setting the fastest time shortly before the session’s midpoint.
With half an hour remaining, Verstappen improved his time on the C3 tyres, achieving the quickest times in the first two sectors and narrowly missing the top spot in the third sector by a mere 0.001 seconds.
His lap time of 1:31.344 placed him significantly ahead of his nearest challenger, Lando Norris, by more than a second.
The afternoon session also saw several teams using flow visualization paint to analyze aerodynamics, notably on the Aston Martin, which sported a vivid green hue this year, making the paint visible as Stroll drove with nearly the entire left side of the car covered in it.
During one of his runs, Stroll lost a mirror, which was subsequently destroyed by Nico Hulkenberg driving over it.
Throughout the day, teams reported no significant reliability issues, with all managing to complete a considerable number of laps.
With half an hour remaining, Verstappen improved his time on the C3 tyres, achieving the quickest times in the first two sectors and narrowly missing the top spot in the third sector by a mere 0.001 seconds.
His lap time of 1:31.344 placed him significantly ahead of his nearest challenger, Lando Norris, by more than a second.
The afternoon session also saw several teams using flow visualization paint to analyze aerodynamics, notably on the Aston Martin, which sported a vivid green hue this year, making the paint visible as Stroll drove with nearly the entire left side of the car covered in it.
During one of his runs, Stroll lost a mirror, which was subsequently destroyed by Nico Hulkenberg driving over it.
Throughout the day, teams reported no significant reliability issues, with all managing to complete a considerable number of laps.
