Key keywords: Lando Norris, 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona F1 second practice, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, McLaren F1 Team, FP2 fastest lap, Formula 1 free practice, Red Bull Racing, F1 race weekend Lando Norris claimed the top spot in the second free practice (FP2) session for the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday, outpacing reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing by 0.127 seconds to set the fastest lap of the day so far. The 24-year-old British driver posted a quickest time of 1:18.237 on a set of soft compound tyres during the low-fuel qualifying simulation runs in the final 20 minutes of the 60-minute session, marking McLaren’s strongest practice performance of the 2024 season to date. Circuit conditions for FP2 were near-ideal, with air temperature sitting at 24 degrees Celsius and track surface temperature reaching 41 degrees Celsius, closely matching the predicted conditions for Saturday’s qualifying session and Sunday’s 66-lap grand prix. Unlike the first free practice (FP1) held earlier in the day, which saw several reserve drivers take part for smaller teams, FP2 featured all full-time race drivers, making the timesheet far more representative of actual weekend pace. Norris, who finished third in FP1 earlier on Friday, told reporters after the session that the team’s new aerodynamic upgrade package, which includes a revised front wing, floor edge and diffuser, has performed far better than initial test data suggested. “We’ve been working nonstop on these upgrades for weeks, and to see them deliver this kind of pace straight out of the box is really encouraging,” Norris said. “We fixed the understeer issue that held us back in FP1, and our long run pace during the race simulation stints in the first half of the session also felt really consistent. We know Red Bull will bring more pace tomorrow, but we’re in a good position to fight.” Verstappen, who topped FP1, ended FP2 in second place, while his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished third, 0.281 seconds off Norris’s pace. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, racing in his home grand prix, took fourth and fifth spots respectively, while Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished sixth and seventh, with the team reporting ongoing struggles with high-speed corner grip on their W15 chassis. FP2 is widely considered the most informative practice session of a grand prix weekend, as teams use the window to test both qualifying trim on low fuel and race trim on full fuel tanks, matching the conditions they will face for the rest of the weekend. Norris’s leading time has already led to widespread speculation that McLaren could challenge Red Bull for pole position and the race win this weekend, ending Red Bull’s three-race winning streak in the 2024 season.