The second practice session (FP2) at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix saw an intense battle for the fastest lap as drivers adjusted to a cold evening on the Nevada circuit.
Kevin Magnussen initially set the pace with a 1:37.711s lap, but Esteban Ocon soon topped the timesheet. As the session progressed, the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell showed their strong weekend pace, with Hamilton eventually taking the lead and Russell securing third, while Nico Hülkenberg split the two Britons.
Drivers faced challenging conditions, with cold air blasting through their helmets, a factor that was repeatedly mentioned over the radio. Russell, in particular, noted, “This helmet has max venting, so I’ve got a lot of cold air blowing into my face.” Not long after, Sergio Pérez echoed Russell’s comments, saying, “I have a lot of air coming through this helmet.” Meanwhile, Max Verstappen reported struggling with low grip on the track, similar to the issues faced in FP1. Verstappen’s troubles were evident when he locked up and ran wide on Turn 14, causing a brief yellow flag.
With 20 minutes into the session, the top 10 consisted of Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Hamilton, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, and Pérez.
Franco Colapinto was the first driver to fit the soft compound tire and set a flying lap of 1:34.476, which became the fastest of the weekend at that point. However, Charles Leclerc quickly improved on this with a time of his own, only to be dethroned by George Russell, who posted a time 0.461 seconds faster than the Ferrari driver’s. This lap also marked a significant improvement over Hamilton’s fastest from FP1, which was now over a second slower.
Hamilton then responded by securing second place, with Hülkenberg impressively climbing to sixth. Valtteri Bottas moving up to eighth, while Gasly’s Alpine rounded out the top seven, though not without controversy, as he was heard expressing frustration with Oscar Piastri, saying, “Honestly, they can’t open their eyes?” after the man from Australis stood in Gasly’s way.
As the session neared its midpoint, Lando Norris edged out Russell by 0.179 seconds, moving to the top spot. With 25 minutes left, the top three consisted of McLaren (Norris), Mercedes (Russell), and Ferrari (Sainz), while cameras frequently caught Verstappen struggling to keep his Red Bull under control.
A red flag was waved with 22 minutes remaining when Alexander Albon’s Williams came to a stop on track, forcing a brief stoppage. The session resumed with 19 minutes left, and the focus shifted to longer runs as teams began testing race pace on fully fueled cars. Mercedes maintained the fastest pace during these runs, with McLaren and Ferrari also showing strong consistency. Hülkenberg’s Haas impressed as well, remaining competitive throughout the session.
When the checkered flag fell, the final top 10 in FP2 was as follows: Hamilton fastest (1:33.825s), Norris, Russell, Sainz, Leclerc, Gasly, Magnussen, Piastri, Hülkenberg, and Tsunoda. The remainder of the field included Bottas, Ocon, Stroll, Alonso, Lawson, Zhou, Verstappen, Colapinto, Pérez, and Albon.
