Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Leclerc ahead of the Mercedes, Red Bull getting ready

After Ferrari’s one-two finish in the first session, it was time for the 20 drivers to focus on race pace.

The first ones on track were Sergio Perez‘s Red Bull and Mick Schumacher’s Haas. The young German is still searching for his first points in Formula 1.

First of all, you need to warm up with a few quick laps. Sebastian Vettel sets the pace with a time of 1’23″901. Max Verstappen improves on that with a time of 1’20″932.

Charles Leclerc seems comfortable in the second sector. However, like in the morning, the last section causes him to lose time: he fails with a time of 1’20″995, just 46 milliseconds behind Verstappen. He was actually ahead by over a tenth of a second in the middle part of the circuit.

Lando Norris, on the other hand, has somewhat fallen victim to McLaren’s somewhat reluctant performance: he understeers at turn 7 and takes a trip into the gravel.

The Alpine team is taking a long time to start their session. Esteban Ocon has only completed one slow lap before changing his front wing. Fernando Alonso takes 6th place, just before Valtteri Bottas quickly overtakes him.

Just after finishing his lap, the Finn had to park his car at the first turn: he experienced a mechanical failure right in the middle of the straight line. The position of the single-seater did not require a red flag.

Carlos Sainz, for his part, was making steady progress in 2nd place. He was hindered by Alex Albon after the second corner, without any serious consequences. Alonso and Vips were given a reprimand for a similar incident during FP1.

Work on the tires.

The significant degradation of the soft tires has led teams to opt for the medium compound, which appears to be the best compromise of the weekend.

However, nothing prevents cars from experiencing understeer. Lando Norris attempted to take turn 9 at full speed, but had a little scare: with both wheels in the gravel, his lap did not count. After 20 minutes, Norris was in 17th position, two places behind Daniel Ricciardo.

Sergio Pérez, meanwhile, started a lap on soft tires. Vettel did the same and set the fastest time with 1’20”703. Pérez narrowly missed it by just 89 milliseconds, after struggling in the second sector. Max Verstappen set the example with 1’20”006. The barrier of 1’19 will easily be broken this weekend.

The first half-hour of the session, in addition to being studious, already reveals that the Red Bulls will be up to the challenge. However, the circuit is not designed to favor top speed.

The Ferraris, in turn, began their preparation on soft tires, starting with Carlos Sainz. The second sector is still the property of the Rossa: Sainz crossed the 1’20 mark (1’19”990), just ahead of Verstappen.

At this stage of the session, only 7 drivers have put on the red tires. Lando Norris will not do it, as he has stopped his session. The team has started working on the floor, which is likely damaged.

Charles Leclerc, in turn, set off on a time attack. The Monegasque provided images worthy of a qualifying lap! He has significantly surpassed his teammate’s time at the finish line: 1’19”670! The Ferrari performed much better in the third sector.

Alonso also had a good placement: 4th, just half a second behind! George Russell also measured his time well, just 0.117 seconds behind the reference time and took position between the Ferraris 16 and 55. The track is improving, the fuel tanks must be empty.

An unexpected awakening occurred: Lewis Hamilton (1’19″874) ranked 3rd, behind Russell. Not bad!

The race is getting ready.

The teams have chosen the medium tires to start the relay simulations. The fastest times are then frozen for the last 20 minutes of the session.

However, the heat of the Catalunya circuit subjects them to torture: Charles Leclerc even speaks of « pieces », as the tire debris is so thick. The drivers have completed around ten laps.

The pace of the race is largely dominated by Red Bull. The Ferraris seem better equipped for quick laps than for Grand Prix relays. Verstappen and Pérez were averaging 1’24, with a 7-tenths margin over the competition.

The perspective leans towards two pit stops, given that the hard tires proved to be non-functional (both new and worn out).

Given that Barcelona is a circuit that is not very conducive to overtaking, it will be important to capitalize on the qualifications. Charles Leclerc, on Friday, seems to have understood this well: he dominated this session, ahead of two surprising Mercedes.

The Leclerc-Verstappen duel will intensify starting this Saturday, during the FP3 and the qualifiers.

The ranking table