Lando Norris took the lead within the second follow session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after it was stopped for greater than quarter-hour as a consequence of a suspected free drain cowl.
Between Turns 16 and 17, trackside marshals found a attainable free fixing on the highway floor, and race management was activated and the session was halted as a precaution.
That was the precise second the sector switched to smooth tires for the qualifying simulation run. Solely seven drivers, together with Norris, accomplished one lap on the smooth, however most drivers nonetheless discovered areas to enhance by finishing a number of laps.
There was simply over 20 minutes left within the session, however there was an interruption of greater than quarter-hour earlier than the pit lane reopened, leaving simply six minutes remaining.
It ought to have been sufficient time for the sector to filter onto the observe in an orderly method, and sufficient time for everybody to finish one lap, however the session was stopped once more as a consequence of what race management described as “observe upkeep”, successfully interrupting the operating time.
The FIA later confirmed that the second suspension was as soon as once more attributable to a drain cowl not being secured earlier than Flip 17.
That is the second Las Vegas Grand Prix session in three years to be affected by free observe surfaces. FP1, the primary race to be held in 2023, was canceled after a water valve cowl got here free and destroyed Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari simply minutes into the session.
Due to the twin suspension, Norris, who had simply accomplished a flying lap earlier than the suspension, remained within the high spot.
Mixed with rain earlier than the session, drivers have been urged to not enter the observe till practically 10 minutes into the session, and FP2 ended with little operating forward of qualifying day.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was second, simply 0.029 seconds behind, with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc third, 0.161 seconds off the tempo.
Nevertheless, Leclerc’s session had ended earlier than the second pink flag, when his gearbox failed simply earlier than Flip 5, forcing him to park behind the boundaries.
The highest three drivers all accomplished one lap on smooth tires, with Nico Hulkenberg, Isaac Hajjar and Liam Lawson additionally following in fourth to sixth place.
Lance Stroll additionally accomplished a flying lap on the smooth, however the Canadian completed eleventh.
George Russell was seventh, simply 0.435 seconds off the tempo, and had simply accomplished two sectors of flying laps on the smooth (together with the purple first sector) when the primary pink flag was proven.
Alex Albon adopted Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Stroll.
Pierre Gasly was twelfth, adopted by Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda, Franco Folapinto, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortleto, all of whom have been unable to mark a lap on smooth tires as a consequence of a pink flag.
