The afternoon is cloudy on the Australian circuit but rain will not make an appearance. The track is still slippery and the cars remain unstable in certain corners, leading several drivers to make mistakes. However, the session will only be marked by a single red flag caused by a piece of wing lost on a kerb.
Note that Sebastian Vettel did not have the chance to drive during this second session. The Aston Martin driver experienced a malfunction during Free Practice 1, and it seems that it will take some more time to repair the Formula 1 car of the four-time world champion.
There have been some off-track excursions from drivers including Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. A red flag was also deployed a few minutes before the end of the session due to a piece of front wing obstructing the trajectory. It was Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin that lost it while going over a kerb.
In terms of performance, the track is improving and lap times are dropping. Nearly a second has been gained compared to Free Practice 1, and the same will be true throughout the weekend if the rain doesn’t show up in the meantime. The chances of rain are still fairly low.
In this context, Ferrari seems slightly ahead, with Leclerc placing two tenths in front of Verstappen’s Red Bull. The reigning Formula 1 world champion had several unsuccessful attempts on soft tires to get closer to the Ferrari. Hindered by traffic – which will be a key factor all weekend – or by a wheel lock-up, in particular.
Alpine seems to have found some already interesting settings as Fernando Alonso is 4th and Ocon is 6th on the timesheet. Alfa Romeo is also well represented with Bottas in 7th position. While these teams have already shown good performances during the first two Formula 1 races of 2022, two seem to be missing from the call: Mercedes and Haas.
The American team that has scored points every time is struggling here. Despite Magnussen being announced sick, he still participated in both practice sessions, but the Haas drivers are currently at the bottom of the standings.
Mercedes is also struggling this afternoon in Melbourne. Russell is ahead of Hamilton, but both of them are outside the top 10.
Meet up tonight for Free Practice 3.
Results of Free Practice 2 of the Australian Grand Prix
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:18.978 | 27 | |
| 2 | Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:19.223 | +0.245 | 22 |
| 3 | Sainz Jr. | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:19.376 | +0.398 | 27 |
| 4 | Alonso | Alpine F1 Team | 1:19.537 | +0.559 | 22 |
| 5 | Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:19.658 | +0.680 | 20 |
| 6 | Ocon | Alpine F1 Team | 1:19.842 | +0.864 | 25 |
| 7 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:20.055 | +1.077 | 25 |
| 8 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:20.100 | +1.122 | 24 |
| 9 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:20.142 | +1.164 | 27 |
| 10 | Ricciardo | McLaren F1 Team | 1:20.203 | +1.225 | 24 |
| 11 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:20.212 | +1.234 | 25 |
| 12 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:20.424 | +1.446 | 30 |
| 13 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:20.521 | +1.543 | 23 |
| 14 | Stroll | Cognizant Aston Martin Racing | 1:20.611 | +1.633 | 28 |
| 15 | Zhou | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:21.063 | +2.085 | 23 |
| 16 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:21.191 | +2.213 | 23 |
| 17 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:21.912 | +2.934 | 28 |
| 18 | Schumacher | Haas F1 Team | 1:21.974 | +2.996 | 22 |
| 19 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:22.307 | +3.329 | 24 |
