The same could be said for reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who encountered persistent engine problems in both FP1 and FP2 that were later linked to the air intake aboard his Red Bull – prompting mechanics to fit an older power unit.
Russell and Verstappen were unsurprisingly quick to head out when the session got under way, trading fastest lap times on the soft tyres in the opening minutes, albeit with the latter reporting over the radio that he had “no rear grip” in the low-speed corners.
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As the session developed, Sainz and Ferrari took over at the top – where they finished yesterday’s running – with a 1m 17.447s on softs, 0.169s clear of team mate Charles Leclerc, from Norris, home hero Sergio Perez and Mercedes pair Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Another sequence of soft-shod runs lowered the benchmark further, with Leclerc, Sainz and Verstappen all spending phases at the top of the timesheets before McLaren made their move – Piastri going fastest on a 1m 16.492s as Norris slotted into a close second.
After some late improvements, Piastri and Norris remained in P1 and P2 over Sainz and Verstappen, who continued to lament a lack of grip, with Hamilton rounding out the top five but expressing surprise at his significant deficit to the McLarens.
