Leclerc fastest in second practice

Second part of free practice

Sunny. Dry. Air +26…25С, route +36…35С

The start of the second practice session was delayed by 15 minutes to address the effects of Jehan Daruwala’s pivot in the final minutes of Formula 2 qualifying.

Compared to the morning session, the condition of the track improved, the trajectory was covered with used rubber, but the strong wind interfered, which had already caused several incidents during the day.

Verstappen almost completely missed the first training session due to problems with the gearbox, it was changed between sessions – and in the second Max left one of the first. No sanctions will follow for this – the failed box has worked out its resource and was “Friday”.

Pierre Gasly lost the first ten minutes due to problems with the car, but then was able to leave.

The riders worked out the traditional program for evaluating the life and efficiency of tires on the course, focusing on preparing cars for qualification, which is especially important on a narrow non-passing track. Having started the session with long series on Medium, the riders switched to Soft, but the series had to be interrupted.

At the 48th minute, the session was stopped by red flags – Yuki Tsunoda flew into the gravel at the exit of the tenth turn, the car got stuck and had to be evacuated. Daniel Ricciardo also ended his workout ahead of schedule due to a leak in the cooling system.

Less than four minutes remained until the end of the session, when the green light turned on at the exit from the pit lane, the drivers drove to the Soft with a small amount of fuel, but no one attacked and this series did not affect the results.

The protocol was headed by Charles Leclerc, having passed the lap in 1:12.345 and ahead of his partner by four thousandths.

Results of the second session

Pilot	Team	Time	Difference	Circles
1. Sh. Leclair	Ferrari	1:12.345	–	27
2. K. Sainz	Ferrari	1:12.349	0.004	30
3. L. Hamilton	Mercedes	1:12.417	0.072	21
4. L. Norris	McLaren	1:12.448	0.103	24
5. D. Russell	Mercedes	1:12.655	0.310	27
6. L. Stroll	Aston Martin	1:12.746	0.401	28
7. F. Alonso	Alpine	1:12.848	0.503	25
8. M. Verstappen	Red Bull	1:13.042	0.697	22
9. E. Okon	Alpine	1:13.305	0.960	27
10. D. Riccardo	McLaren	1:13.362	1.017	10
11. Y. Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:13.419	1.074	19
12. C. Perez	Red Bull	1:13.493	1.148	23
13. M. Schumacher	Haas	1:13.604	1.259	27
14. S. Vettel	Aston Martin	1:13.611	1.266	27
15. G. Zhou	Alfa Romeo	1:13.624	1.279	25
16. P. Gasli	AlphaTauri	1:13.666	1.321	16
17. A. Albon	Williams	1:13.837	1.492	26
18. V. Bottas	Alfa Romeo	1:14.167	1.822	27
19. K. Magnussen	Haas	1:14.282	1.937	25
20. N. Latifi	Williams	1:14.797	2.452	24

First part of free practice

Sunny. Dry. Air +22C, track +29…32C

The condition of the track on Friday morning left much to be desired, the wind and sand on the pavement were great. The racers drove the first series of laps on the hardest tires, deciding on the settings, but it turned out to be short.

First, Schumacher and Magnussen took turns cutting turn ten, driving into the gravel without consequences for the cars, and in the tenth minute, red flags appeared – Verstappen stopped at the exit of the third turn due to problems with the gearbox, the car had to be evacuated, Max did not leave anymore.

After a pause, almost everyone went to Soft, assessing their wear at a distance. The Medium tires were barely used in the morning.

Riccardo was asked to add – and he cut off the tenth turn, ruining a set of tires. Perez flew out in the ninth turn, touching the barrier with the wheels – and continued to move.

George Russell led the way with a lap time of 1:12.455.

Results of the first session

Pilot	Team	Time	Difference	Circles
1. D. Russell	Mercedes	1:12.455	–	29
2. L. Hamilton	Mercedes	1:12.695	0.240	28
3. K. Sainz	Ferrari	1:12.845	0.390	30
4. L. Norris	McLaren	1:12.929	0.474	32
5. D. Riccardo	McLaren	1:13.077	0.622	31
6. Sh. Leclair	Ferrari	1:13.127	0.672	30
7. C.Perez	Red Bull	1:13.416	0.961	30
8. F. Alonso	Alpine	1:13.633	1.178	31
9. E. Okon	Alpine	1:13.963	1.508	33
10. A. Albon	Williams	1:14.063	1.608	29
11. M. Schumacher	Haas	1:14.163	1.708	29
12. L. Stroll	Aston Martin	1:14.257	1.802	30
13. K. Magnussen	Haas	1:14.405	1.950	31
14. P. Gasli	AlphaTauri	1:14.474	2.019	28
15. S. Vettel	Aston Martin	1:14.500	2.045	28
16. G. Zhou	Alfa Romeo	1:14.534	2.079	18
17. Y. Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:14.630	2.175	31
18. V. Bottas	Alfa Romeo	1:14.695	2.240	22
19. M. Verstappen	Red Bull	1:14.714	2.259	7
20. N. Latifi	Williams	1:15.122	2.667	33