Leclerc the fastest in the second tests

Second part of free practice

Sunny. Dry. Air + 26… 25С, route + 36… 35С

The start of the second free practice session was delayed by 15 minutes to deal with the effects of Jehan Daruwala’s pivot in the final minutes of Formula 2 qualifying.

Compared to the morning session the track conditions have improved, the trajectory was covered with used rubber, but the strong wind that had already caused several accidents during the day interfered.

Verstappen almost completely skipped the first training session due to gearbox problems, was changed between sessions and in the second Max left one of the first. No penalties will follow for this: the failed box ran out of its resource and it was “Friday”.

Pierre Gasly lost the first ten minutes due to problems with the car, but then managed to get away.

The drivers worked out the traditional tire durability and efficiency assessment program on the course, focusing on preparing the cars for qualifying, which is particularly important on a narrow, non-passing track. After starting the session with the long series on Medium, the riders switched to the Soft series, but the series had to be stopped.

In the 48th minute, the session was interrupted by red flags: Yuki Tsunoda flew into the gravel at the exit of the tenth corner, the car got stuck and had to be evacuated. Daniel Ricciardo also finished his training earlier than expected due to a leak in the cooling system.

There were less than four minutes to the end of the session, when the green light came on at the exit from the pit lane, the drivers were driving towards the Soft with a small amount of fuel, but no one attacked and this series did not affect the results.

The protocol was led by Charles Leclerc, after passing the lap in 1: 12.345 and ahead of his teammate by four thousandths.

Results of the second session

First part of free practice

Sunny. Dry. Air + 22 ° C, trace + 29… 32 ° C

The track conditions on Friday morning left a lot to be desired, the wind and sand on the asphalt were excellent. The drivers drove the first set of laps on the hardest tires, deciding on the setting, but it turned out to be short.

At first Schumacher and Magnussen took turns cutting turn ten, driving in the gravel without consequences for the cars, and in the tenth minute the red flags appeared – Verstappen stopped at the exit of the third corner due to gearbox problems, the car had to being evacuated, Max never left.

After a break, almost everyone went to Soft, remotely assessing the wear. The medium tires were barely used in the morning.

Riccardo was asked to add – and he cut through the tenth corner ruining a set of tires. Perez flew out on lap nine, touching the barrier with the wheels – and kept moving.

George Russell led the way with a lap time of 1: 12.455.

Results of the first session

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