F1: Leclerc nips Ferrari teammate Sainz Jr in 2nd Dutch GP practice

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. set nearly identical times in the 2nd practice for the Dutch GP at Zandvoort to give Ferrari a much needed 1-2.

Leclerc turned a lap of 1m12.345s in his #16 Ferrari to beat Sainz Jr. by just 0,004s.

Lewis Hamilton was 3rd quick for Mercedes, 0.072s back

Lando Norris and George Russell, who topped practice 1, rounded out the top-5.

Championship leader Max Verstappen was just 8th quick after losing much of Practice 1 due to gearbox issues. Red Bull appears to be behind the 8-ball here at Zandvoort, as Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez could only manage the 12th best time.

There was one red-flag in the session when Yuki Tsunoda beached his AlphaTauri in the gravel trap.

Verstappen was experimenting with higher fuel runs on the soft tire. He two-stopped on his way to victory last year, and with a relatively short pit lane, it could well be that a two-stop strategy works well again. That brings the soft tire into play for Sunday’s race.

Practice 2 Results