Second session of the day and all 20 drivers are back in their seats. Another 60 minutes on the clock, and the drivers were keen to improve upon their times set in Free Practice 1. Here’s the rundown of what happened in the second free practice session of the day.
Piastri Joins the Session
Oscar Piastri missed out on FP1 earlier today to make way for F2 driver Alexander Dunne, who had a good session himself.
Upon return to his seat, Oscar was keen to catch up on lost time and quickly put a lap time in for P1. His teammate Lando Norris was hot on his heels, however, and stole the top spot for the time being. The duo this weekend will be feeling the pressure, Lando to close that gap and Oscar to retain it.
Behind the McLarens in the championship is Max Verstappen, who also had a fairly good FP2 session today. In the early stages he was able to produce purples on the medium tyres and challenge the Papaya cars.
Track Limits Continue to be a Problem
The red flag came out only 10 minutes into the session, caused by Kimi Antonelli losing control of his rear and beaching the car. While he was completely okay, he will be disheartened by this, following his P5 finish in FP1.
While not becoming completely stuck, other drivers such as Pierre Gasly took to the gravel, pushing the limits of the circuit. Two straight sessions of drivers leaving the limits of the track. Qualifying tomorrow will show whether the drivers have mastered those high speeds or whether lap time deletions will be in surplus.
Alex Albon was close to a huge off, running some of the floor across the gravel, concerning the team. Hopefully the Williams did not pick up any floor damage.
“I Have No Grip!”
So far this race weekend, numerous drivers have come onto the radio complaining about the lack of grip on the circuit. Charles Leclerc was unhappy with how the car was handling into the corners. Leclerc locked up later in the session into the Ascari chicane, travelling across the gravel but rejoining. His concerns were joined by Verstappen.
The Red Bull champion expressed issues with his car having no grip, issues with control and issues with bumps. As other drivers were seen fighting with the high-speed corners, the teams behind the pit wall were making adjustments for Saturday.
As the session drew to a close
Lando Norris maintained the fastest lap of the session. Last season, the Brit claimed pole in qualifying, so a strong practice session from him is encouraging. He had a fairly clean and uneventful practice session this afternoon. Oscar Piastri finishing in P4.
The Ferrari duo were not as happy in FP2 as they were in FP1. Leclerc, despite completing the second-fastest time, suffered many mistakes. His teammate was not as dominant as he was in FP1 and finished the day in P5.
Completing the top three was Carlos Sainz, who looked very quick all day. Williams will be very pleased about his efforts today, despite their concerns around Alex Albon.