Charles Leclerc set the fastest time of 1m11.684s ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, with Lewis Hamilton completing the top three in a session where Ferrari left everyone scratching their heads.

The Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was the first car to hit the track followed by Kimi Räikkönen and Charles Leclerc. With track temperatures soaring up and the Formula 2 qualifying session just concluded, drivers found more time and grip in this second practice session. All the cars came out on the medium compound tyres, except for Carlos Sainz on the hard compound tyres, who set the benchmark time of the session with a 1m14.997s.

Max Verstappen came flying out of the blocks with a 1m13.499s to top the charts before Hamilton matched him inch for inch; the Championship leader set an identical lap time. As the traffic thinned out, Hamilton set the fastest time with a 1m12.569s. Sainz on the hard tyres was just 0.180s behind the Brit, while Verstappen only managed the third-best time, two-tenths behind Hamilton.

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By the time drivers had finished their first stints, track temperatures fell by about five degrees. With about half of the session remaining, the front runners came out for their second stints with all the cars on the soft compound tyres. Valtteri Bottas set the fastest lap with a 1m12.107s, followed by Hamilton in second, one-tenth behind his teammate.

In the 32nd minute, Carlos Sainz came out on the soft tyres and set the fastest time with a 1m11.796s. Verstappen and Hamilton tried to respond but could not break the 1m12.000s barrier. Charles Leclerc came out a few minutes later and went third fastest, 0.257s behind his teammate. With fifteen minutes left in the session, Charles Leclerc went top with a 1m11.684s, making it a Ferrari one-two at the top of the time charts.

Mick Schumacher brought out the yellow flags with eight minutes to go when he slammed his car on the barriers and broke his right rear suspension. With most of the qualifying run done and teams on their race-run simulations, the red flags finally came out with four minutes to go as the stricken Haas of Mick Schumacher remained parked in an unsafe place, just past the Nouvelle Chicane.

Race director, Michael Masi, called off the session as teams protested the decision. In the end, it was the Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the top, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in third and fourth respectively. Bottas finished fifth, with Lando Norris in another solid display for McLaren, finishing in sixth place this session. Pierre Gasly came in seventh, followed by Sergio Pérez, who would want to forget the second session after topping the times in the morning session. Antonio Giovinazzi and Sebastian Vettel rounded off the Top 10.

Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso finished 11th and 12th, while Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon both had a disappointing session on 13th and 14th respectively. Daniel Ricciardo continued his dismal start to the weekend with another 15th place finish, while the Williams duo of George Russell and Nicholas Latifi pipped the Haas duo of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin to 16th and 17th. Yuki Tsunoda didn’t come out after his shunt in the early stages of the session and ended in the last place.

Written By
Rahul Saha