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<strong>FP2:</strong> Bottas edges Hamilton to lead Mercedes 1-2

FP2: Bottas edges Hamilton to lead Mercedes 1-2

Published on 12 Jul 2019 16:30
4
By: Harry Mattocks

Valtteri Bottas has topped the second practice session for the British Grand Prix, as his lap time of 1:26.732 was just 0.069s ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas did not have a perfect session however, as the Finn was called back into the garage in the closing stages with a spark plug issue.

Although no red flags were called during the session, many drivers struggled for grip on the recently re-surfaced Silverstone circuit, as plenty ran wide around the outside of Becketts.

Behind Hamilton was Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari SF90, as the Monegasque driver was two-tenths off the lead but nearly three-tenths faster than his teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Pierre Gasly was next on the timesheets, as the Frenchman continues to enjoy a slight resurgence in form compared to his last few race weekends.

The Red Bulls were split by Lando Norris in his McLaren, as the British team continued to show good pace at their home Grand Prix. Norris was just 0.016 faster than Austrian race winner Max Verstappen behind.

Next came the other McLaren driver of Carlos Sainz, closely followed by Alexander Albon in the Toro Rosso.

Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten, which could be a sign that Racing Point might finally have a chance at a good qualifying after a few tough race weekends for the Canadian team.

It was a tough session for both Renault drivers as they struggled for pace in P14 and P15. However, Daniel Ricciardo brought out the only virtual safety car of the session when his RS19 came to a halt at the side of the circuit.

Currently, the cause of the issue is unknown, but the engine is suspected to have shutdown as a precautionary measure to prevent further damage.

The Williams drivers yet again propped up the bottom of the timesheets, but it was not a good session for George Russell at his home race weekend. The British rookie was seen talking to the FIA during the session, as his car was pushed down the pitlane.

The issue is suspected to be gearbox related, which could mean a five-place penalty is on the cards for the race on Sunday.

F1Grand Prix United Kingdom - Free practice 2

Silverstone - 12 July 2019

Driver

Team

Time

Difference

#
1

Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

1:26.732

25
2

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:26.801

+0.069

35
3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:26.929

+0.197

30
4

Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

1:27.180

+0.448

30
5

Pierre Gasly

Red Bull Racing

1:27.249

+0.517

31
6

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:27.546

+0.814

38
7

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

1:27.562

+0.830

32
8

Carlos Sainz jr

McLaren

1:27.987

+1.255

39
9

Alexander Albon

Toro Rosso

1:27.997

+1.265

38
10

Sergio Perez

Racing Point

1:28.002

+1.270

32
11

Daniil Kvyat

Toro Rosso

1:28.008

+1.276

36
12

Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1

1:28.059

+1.327

30
13

Kimi Räikkönen

Alfa Romeo Racing

1:28.126

+1.394

33
14

Daniel Ricciardo

Renault

1:28.128

+1.396

17
15

Nico Hülkenberg

Renault

1:28.217

+1.485

34
16

Lance Stroll

Racing Point

1:28.240

+1.508

37
17

Antonio Giovinazzi

Alfa Romeo Racing

1:28.294

+1.562

28
18

Romain Grosjean

Haas F1

1:28.794

+2.062

26
19

Robert Kubica

Williams

1:29.935

+3.203

37
20

George Russell

Williams

1:30.514

+3.782

11

f1fan0101

Posts: 1,804

That's more what I expected I guess

1
Jul 12 2019 - 17:38

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F1 News Valtteri Bottas Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

Replies (4)

f1fan0101

Posts: 1,804
That's more what I expected I guess
- + 1
- Jul 12 2019 - 17:38
mcbhargav

Posts: 1,332
Wow! Gasly boy is in the game as if some one switched back couple of components back in.
- + 1
- Jul 12 2019 - 20:41
Ram Samartha

Posts: 1,172
Hmmm......, A spark plug problem for Bottas in FP2. A glimmer of hope that the Mercs will have some problems, yeah, no.
- + 1
- Jul 13 2019 - 04:35
boudy

Posts: 1,168
Nicely done Gasly. However why is Verstappen so far away from the top. Are they sandbagging? I just find it strange to see that Verstappen suddenly is a lot slower than Gasly. Might RBH have a genuine shot at pole tomorrow?
- + 1
- Jul 13 2019 - 05:34