The second Free Practice of the day was expected to focus mainly on long race stints, allowing teams to prepare and gather data for Sunday, especially due to the challenges of cool conditions and low grip.
Heading out on track, most teams started the session on hard or medium tyres. Lewis Hamilton put in a good lap to take first place, which was later on claimed by his former teammate, George Russell, with a time of 1:29.666.
Carlos Sainz then reported some problems over the radio, complaining about bouncing, especially at Turn 13. He was called back to the pits for a formal check-up.
After missing FP1, Jack Doohan was eager to get some laps as he was one of the first cars on track. However, his session was cut short with only three laps under his belt. The Australian driver lost rear grip, spun, and crashed into the wall at Turn 1, bringing out the first red flag of the session. The impact of the crash was quite severe due to an active DRS and caused significant damage to the car. The most important thing is that Doohan is okay, he walked out of the car on his own, and both the Alpine team and doctors confirmed he’s well and should be ready for tomorrow.
With 30 minutes remaining, the green light appeared at the end of the pit lane, bringing cars back onto the track, with McLaren leading the pack.
After only four minutes of running, another red flag was waved. Following two race DNFs in Australia and China, Fernando Alonso went off into the gravel at Turn 8, getting stuck after turning into the grass. Pushing hard on the soft tyres in an effort to maximize his performance didn’t pay off for the experienced Spaniard, continuing his bad luck this season.
The drivers had another opportunity with just 20 minutes left on the clock, this time mainly on soft tyres. With everyone aiming for good track positions, Russell went aggressive at the pit exit, overtaking Max Verstappen a few moments later.
As the drivers began their qualifying stints, Charles Leclerc was the first to set a solid time with two fastest sectors. However, his position was quickly taken by Russell, then Hamilton, and, moments later, by Isack Hadjar. The strong pace of the Racing Bulls was further confirmed when Liam Lawson claiming P3.
Then it was time for McLaren to show their pace. Lando Norris claimed the top spot once again, with Oscar Piastri in third place. The papaya team was separated by an amazing lap from Hadjar.
As if two red flags weren’t enough, with 13 minutes remaining, the grass on the left side heading into Turn 7 caught on fire. This situation is not new in Formula 1, as a similar incident occurred in China last year, leading to another red flag. The marshals were quick to resolve the issue, and after six minutes, the track was clear.
With only a few minutes left, drivers had the chance to run their final laps of the day. This time, Piastri put together very competitive sectors and claimed P1 from his teammate.
As the chequered flag was about to be waved, another red flag emerged as the grass caught fire again.
This session was very important for all drivers, however, due to the red flags, no one managed to get any proper race running, which puts a lot of pressure on tomorrow’s FP3 and the teams themselves.
Top 10:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): 1:28.114
- Lando Norris (McLaren): 1:28.163
- Isack Hadjar (VCARB): 1:28.518
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): 1:28.544
- Liam Lawson (VCARB): 1:28.559
- George Russell (Mercedes): 1:28.567
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 1:28.586
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): 1:28.670
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine): 1:28.757
- Carlos Sainz (Williams): 1:28.832