Max positive after P5 in Barcelona FP2

Published on 12 May 2017 by Stefan Meens

After Max Verstappen finished FP1 in fifth, the Dutchman added another P5 in the second free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was quickest, followed by Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas. The Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel finished third and fourth.

“It was positive. We’re closer to the Ferraris, but we’re still the third team”, explains Max. He therefore thinks a repeat of last year’s win is unlikely: “Unless the first four cars crash.”

At the start of the session, Max heads out on the medium Pirelli tyre showing encourages pace. Nevertheless, both Ferraris and Mercedes are quicker.

A gust of wind destabilizes Max RB13. The Dutchman loses control, but after a minor excursion in the gravel he is back on track.

After half an hour, Sebastian is the first to switch to the soft Pirellis compound for qualifying simulations. However, it is the Mercedes of Hamilton and Bottas that set the pace on the fastest tyre used this weekend.

Max also heads out on the softs, ultimately clocking a 1:21.438, granting him P5.

After the qualifying runs, the teams opt for long runs, meaning the lap times do not improve any further. And apart from a short red flag, caused by a bit of bodywork of Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso, the session proceeds without any incidents.

Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - Friday 12 May

FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS

01 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:20.802  39
02 77 Valtteri Bottas     Mercedes                    1:20.892 +0.090s  38
03  7 Kimi Räikkönen      Ferrari                     1:21.112 +0.310s  34
04  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:21.220 +0.418s  36
05 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:21.438 +0.636s  29
06  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:21.585 +0.783s  35
07 27 Nico Hulkenberg     Renault                     1:21.687 +0.885s  40
08 30 Jolyon Palmer       Renault                     1:21.992 +1.190s  43
09 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:22.015 +1.213s  38
10 55 Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso                  1:22.265 +1.463s  34
11  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:22.371 +1.569s  36
12 31 Esteban Ocon        Force India Mercedes        1:22.520 +1.718s  37
13  2 Stoffel Vandoorne   McLaren Honda               1:22.693 +1.891s  36
14 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:22.722 +1.920s  32
15 20 Kevin Magnussen     Haas Ferrari                1:23.007 +2.205s  32
16  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari              1:23.082 +2.280s  37
17 18 Lance Stroll        Williams Mercedes           1:23.221 +2.419s  35
18 26 Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso                  1:23.236 +2.434s  27
19 94 Pascal Wehrlein     Sauber Ferrari              1:23.599 +2.797s  31
20 14 Fernando Alonso     McLaren Honda               1:24.077 +3.275s  21

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