The young Italian set the benchmark with a lap of 1:33.662, recorded on the Soft C4 compound during the second free practice session, the only session of the day to be interrupted by a red flag.

Charles Leclerc finished second, 0.113 seconds behind Antonelli, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who posted a 1:33.811 and narrowly avoided the barriers on the exit of Turn 17. The top three all began the session on a new set of Medium tyres before switching to the Soft compound, on which they set their quickest laps.

Arvid Lindblad, fourth fastest, was also responsible for the session stoppage after crashing into the barriers at Turn 13. George Russell, fifth in FP2, had dominated the opening session with a time of 1:34.077. The first hour of running featured numerous lap times deleted for track limits infringements but no interruptions. Antonelli, who was second in FP1, set the quickest overall Medium-tyre lap of the day during the final hour of running, recording a 1:33.926.

The Medium compound was the most widely used tyre on Friday, accounting for 58% of all laps completed. Oliver Bearman completed the highest mileage on the C3, extracting 23 laps from a single set, while Leclerc holds the benchmark for the C4 after completing 17 laps on one set. The Hard tyre was used only by Gabriel Bortoleto in FP1 and Nico Hülkenberg in FP2, with the German also setting the quickest time on the C2 thanks to a lap of 1:35.746.

Temperatures were high throughout the day, with track temperature peaking at 51°C at the start of the second free practice session, while the air temperature reached 32°C.

SIMONE BERRA – PIRELLI CHIEF ENGINEER

“Today was particularly important as it allowed both us and the teams to gather the first real-world data from a completely new circuit. Unfortunately, the red flag in the middle phase of the second free practice session reduced both the number and length of the long runs, limiting the amount of information available from a race perspective. We observed graining on both the front and rear left tyres, in some cases quite significant, which contributed to accelerating wear on the cars most prone to sliding. Differences between the teams are already becoming apparent in terms of who is able to manage the tyres more effectively over a stint.

“Track conditions were very good from the outset, with grip levels among the highest seen so far this season. The combination of high grip and a very smooth track surface encouraged the onset of graining, although this should ease slightly as the circuit continues to evolve, a trend that was already noticeable throughout the day. The Hard tyre represents the most important option for the race, given degradation levels higher than initially expected and the high temperatures that are forecast to persist over the coming days. The performance gap between the Medium and Soft compounds proved smaller than anticipated, averaging around half a second. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s qualifying session, it will be crucial to maximise the first flying lap in order to avoid the onset of thermal degradation, while carefully managing traffic, which could prove to be a decisive factor around this circuit.”