The second qualifying session commenced under darkening skies after a brief delay for marshals to clear gravel at Turn 12. As a light rain began to fall, drivers rushed out on soft tires to set a benchmark time before conditions deteriorated.
Lando Norris immediately set the pace with a 1:14.890s lap, placing him ahead of his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. In a dramatic conclusion to the session, the final runs produced significant upsets as both Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli were eliminated.
Hamilton expressed his frustration over the team radio after securing only 12th place. Antonelli, who initially finished 11th, was ultimately demoted to 15th after his best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Carlos Sainz, Oliver Bearman, and Franco Colapinto were also knocked out of contention.
Norris and Piastri held onto the top two spots despite not improving on their final attempts. They advanced to Q3 along with Lance Stroll, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, and Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen narrowly progressed in eighth place, joined by Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Gabriel Bortoleto, who completed the top ten.
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