China – Free Practice 2: Bottas Takes the Lead, Mechanical Problem for Leclerc

The festivities to celebrate the 1000th Grand Prix in the History of Formula 1 continue to multiply in Shanghai as part of the Chinese Grand Prix.

This morning, spectators were treated to a demonstration by Damon Hill at the wheel of the Lotus 48B with which his father, Graham, became world champion for the second time in 1968.

A naturally emotional and historic moment for the 1996 world champion, who was the first son of a world champion to win the title in his turn, before Nico Rosberg followed him into the history books.

A very special moment as we celebrate the #Race1000 weekend…@HillF1 driving the Lotus 49B that powered his father to his second world championship in 1968! 🏆

This was the very first #F1 car to feature aerodynamic wings 😯 pic.twitter.com/3Vv1A0cwtQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 avril 2019

But the serious matters quickly resume their course with the 20 participants of this 2019 season entering for the second free practice session. The first session was dominated by Sebastian Vettel, who demonstrated his skill in managing the Pirelli tires. For the German, this quality will be the key to victory this weekend.

Already trailing behind Scuderia in Bahrain, the Mercedes team seems to once again have a lot of work to do in China. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas each made a small mistake at the beginning of the session, losing control of their W10 without any serious consequences.

Whoops 🌪️

Proving no one's immune to it, Hamilton has just run out of grip on cold tyres at Turn 2 and got whirled around#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #Race1000 pic.twitter.com/rOwPTi3vDY

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 avril 2019

This does not prevent the Briton from setting the best time in the first half-hour with a 1:34.226 on Soft tires. He leads Charles Leclerc by 45 thousandths and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.

Good news for Antonio Giovinazzi, who can finally start his weekend on the track after missing the first session due to a mechanical problem on his Alfa Romeo. This time, it’s Daniil Kvyat who is out of luck, as his mechanics are busy around his Toro Rosso, which is immobilized at his pit.

A bit too generous in turn 14, Romain Grosjean locks his wheels on a damaged front wing on his Haas and has to pit to repair it. It’s not the first time the American car has suffered this kind of damage. Too bad for Lewis Hamilton, who was hindered by the French driver during his fast lap.

Grosjean's got front wing trouble 😬

It looks as though it dropped on the straight, then set him into a lockup at Turn 14 💨#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #Race1000 pic.twitter.com/k6thGp3ED7

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 avril 2019

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas takes advantage to steal the best time from his teammate with a 1:33.330, just ahead of Sebastian Vettel with a 1:33.357, both on Soft tires. The gaps are very tight at the top of the timing sheet.

Nico Hülkenberg and Renault once again manage to surprise by reaching 5th position, just over 7 tenths off the best time. The French cars have shown good potential since the beginning of the season but have not yet been able to turn these hopes into race results, as exemplified by their simultaneous double retirements in Bahrain.

Among the outsiders, McLaren should also be watched with an excellent 6th time from Carlos Sainz, ahead of a rather discreet Charles Leclerc this Chinese afternoon. Indeed, a cooling issue was detected on his Ferrari, keeping him in the pit for the remainder of this session, which ultimately saw Bottas retain his best time.

The full classification of FP2:

🏁 END OF FP2 🏁

That's the chequered flag on Friday's sessions – with Bottas, Vettel and Verstappen at the top of times#ChineseGP 🇨🇳 #Race1000 pic.twitter.com/k5tKBsRbc3

— Formula 1 (@F1) 12 avril 2019