SPANISH GP – Lewis Hamilton fastest by two tenths in second practice ahead of Carlos Sainz
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver set a 13.264 to go two hundredths faster than Carlos Sainz. Hamilton vaulted himself up the times midway through to displace the Ferrari who had led most of the session up to that point.
Mercedes will be cautious with it only being practice as Red Bull looked to struggle with Max Verstappen only managing fifth complaint about a lack of grip. Once again this weekend could be shaping up to be competitiveness at the front of the field in F1 on a Barcelona circuit that Verstappen absolutely dominated on last year, Red Bull’s big rivals – Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren – finished with one car apiece in a closely-matched top three.
Ferrari has brought a big upgrade this weekend which looks to be working, Sainz three hundredths faster than he managed in FP1. The race-simulation times later in the second session also suggested that the top teams were closely matched, with Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren all setting similar pace.
During the session, Northamptonshire Police and the Mercedes announced that a potential criminal investigation was underway after an anonymous email accusing the team of trying to deliberately sabotage Hamilton’s car. Mercedes has dismissed any suggestion that the email has any element of the truth and are clear that the communications have not come from an employee.
Pierre Gasly put his Alpine fourth a decent showing for the team, but he was still over a tenth behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Alpine finds it up turn in form overshadowed by the reappointment of its disgraced former team principal Flavio Briatore’s return to the team as an executive adviser.
It’s an extraordinary return to the team after he was forced to resign in 2009, and was later banned over race fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.
These are just the latest controversies that have rumbled on this season with Alonso, who was implicated in Crashgate, implicated in FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem under investigation for trying to overturn a penalty given to Alonso in Jeddah 2023. Plus, the row about Christian Horner’s allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague and a power struggle within Red Bull.
Verstappen could only manage fifth going a quarter of a second behind Gasly, this weekend has been seen as a key test in how close the field has got to Red Bull. The Dutchman appeared to complain about the balance over the kerbs which also looked to be an issue at other races.
Verstappen was nearly a tenth faster than Charles Leclerc, but his soft run pace also looked to be lacking. The three-tenths gap to Sainz appears all to be in the middle sector. Teammate Sergio Perez who completed his runs later than everyone else when in theory the track should have been gripper could only go thirteenth.
Oscar Piastri was seventh the second McLaren a tenth ahead of George Russell, the second Mercedes looking to struggle with an apparent lack of stopping power on board his Mercedes. While on track, Alpine had something to be buoyant about Esteban Ocon made it two cars in the top ten but half a second off. Ocon over a tenth and a half ahead of Valtteri Bottas.
Kevin Magnussen missed out on the top ten by nearly a tenth, but the Dane was three hundredths faster than Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Perez was a hundredth faster than Alonso with the RBs of Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo just behind. Guanyu Zhou was seventeenth ahead of Lance Stroll, with the Williams completing the field.