Free Practice 2 for the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix gave us our first taste of how qualifying at this quick, idyllic Mugello circuit might go, with Mercedes Valtteri Bottas heading the times by two-tenths from group mate Lewis Hamilton– with Red Bulls Max Verstappen just 0.039 s even more back.
Bottas looked well linked around the 3.28-mile track, as he ended the session as the only chauffeur to lap in the 1m 16s at Mugello, stopping the clocks at 1m 16.989 s, almost a second faster than his session-leading time from today as he finished a tidy sweep of P1s for Friday.
FP1: Bottas heads Verstappen and Leclerc in very first practice at Mugello
As soon as the session had actually restarted 10 minutes later on, Verstappen ended up an appealing third for Red Bull, there or thereabouts with Hamiltons time, while Alex Albon slotted into 4th, however was over seven-tenths off his team mates time.
Hamilton was 0.207 s further back, however there was drama mid-session for McLarens Lando Norris, who ran the track at the exit of Turn 3– or Poggiosecco for the conoscenti– before spinning into the wall and wiping the front wing off his MCL35, drawing out the warnings simply as the chauffeurs were starting to enter into their qualifying simulations.
1
Valtteri
Bottas
BOT
Mercedes
1:16.989
2
Lewis
Hamilton
HAM
Mercedes
+0.207 s.
3.
Max.
Verstappen.
VER.
Red Bull Racing.
+0.246 s.
4.
+0.982 s.
Alexander.
Albon.
ALB.
Red Bull Racing.
5.
Hot on the back of the news that he would leave the group at the end of the year, Sergio Perez was Racing Points fastest chauffeur in seventh, ahead of Monza winner Pierre Gasly in eighth for AlphaTauri– with Kimi Raikkonen an encouraging ninth for Alfa Romeo, 20 years to the day from his very first F1 test at the track.
Daniel.
Ricciardo.
RIC.
Renault.
This weekend celebrates Ferraris 1,000 th Grand Prix. And after his starring P3 in morning practice, Charles Leclerc slipped back in FP2 as he took 10th– while both he and team mate Sebastian Vettel suffered spins at the Correntaio corner during the session, with Vettel winding up P12, but simply 0.098 s behind his group mate, with Lance Stroll in between the set for Racing Point in 11th. Ferrari will have been a touch worried after Vettels power unit appeared to cut out right at the end of the session, however …
Behind the Mercedes and the Red Bull pairs came the 2 Renaults, wholl have been pleased to take the third best team areas after forecasting that Mugello may not fit their R.S. 20 package, with Daniel Ricciardo narrowly ahead of Esteban Ocon, and simply 0.069 s off Albon.
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+1.050 s.
However, after their qualifying simulation runs, there was a bizarre event late in the session for Raikkonen and Perez as the two drivers collided at Turn 1 just as Perez was leaving the pit lane, bringing out the second warning of the day– with the event set to be investigated after the session.
2020 Tuscan GP FP2: Norris smashes into barriers.
Meanwhile, FP2 appeared to verify that tire management might be an essential concern this weekend on Mugellos abrasive tarmac, with drivers complaining a lot about overheating tyres on Mugellos hot, abrasive surface.
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There was work to do for the McLaren team, nevertheless, who wound up P13 and P14 a week on from their strong Monza race, with Carlos Sainz heading Norris before the British motorist had his off. Daniil Kvyat with 15th in the second AlphaTauri, while George Russell did well to go 16th for Williams.
So its Mercedes with the early benefit as Formula 1 enters uncharted territory at Mugello. However Red Bull are within spitting distance, with a great certifying session on Saturday in shop.
The timesheets were completed by the second Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi in 17th, the second Williams of Nicholas Latifi in 18th, while the two Haas cars of Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean brought up the rear– Grosjean missing out on much of the session with an electrical issue.
