Italy – Free Practice 2: Bottas Takes the Lead, Ferrari Raises the Tone
As expected, the Scuderia's drivers have stepped up their competitiveness. But Valtteri Bottas maintains the advantage for his team. Lewis Hamilton is just 0.56 seconds behind in second position, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, also within the same tenth!
Italy without sun, impossible! To make up for the injustice of FP1, the second free practice session of the day opened under sunny skies, 33 degrees on the tarmac compared to 25 in the air. It was an opportunity to further scrutinize the balance of power at the top of the hierarchy. Dominant in the morning, does Mercedes really have the advantage in Monza? It was far from certain, given Scuderia Ferrari’s relaxed schedule. This didn’t dampen the fervor of the Tifosi, who were already displaying two tifos in the main grandstand.
Monza 😍 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/xGLgkYq4y6
— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 September 2017
Mercedes on softs, an undisputed domination
The first hints of answers were given to us after ten minutes of running. Valtteri Bottas didn’t give any respite to Kimi Räikkönen, who had just set the fastest time to the delight of the Tifosi. On soft tires, number 77 clocked a time of 1:22.475, three-tenths ahead of “Iceman.” Always lively in S1, Ocon achieved the best intermediate time.
Dominated by Hamilton (half a second ahead!) with a time of 1:21.956, the first half-hour was generally focused on race pace with soft tires. This gave Mercedes some ideas, as they are very comfortable on this compound. Let’s recall that in 2016, both Hamilton and Rosberg started the race on these yellow-rimmed tires. In any case, grip was present under the Lombard sun. Max Verstappen treated us to a great sight, on the edge of the outside in the Parabolica, without losing control of his RB13.
Once past this stage, Sebastian Vettel kicked off the use of super-soft tires. The gap became tighter among the four top contenders. Bottas gained the advantage here with a benchmark of 1:21.406, four-tenths ahead of Räikkönen, who was fourth with 1:21.804. But in the other part of the Ferrari garage, the time of 1:21.546 is great publicity ahead of the qualifications!
Regarding interruptions, the session was proceeding smoothly, except for Lance Stroll’s spin at the Ascari chicane.
😮 STR spins at Ascari #FP2 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/b99DkT6h8N
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 1, 2017
A world of difference for the top four, McLaren a surprise behind?
Behind them, it’s appropriate to take stock of the rest of the pack. Max Verstappen was temporarily in fifth position, seven-tenths behind Raikonnen and one second behind Bottas! For Daniel Ricciardo in sixth, the same situation. The die is cast from the first sector, with a three-tenths difference between a Mercedes and a Red Bull…
Speaking of miracles, for the moment, Stoffel Vandoorne can dream. The Belgian climbed to seventh position after the mid-session, under the 1’23” mark. Half an hour before the end, Alonso even joined his teammate in eighth position, twenty-thousandths of a second behind. Even more surprisingly, knowing that the Spaniard is certainly driving with an “old” version engine, giving up 80 horsepower to his competitors.
Bad luck was sparing the Woking team members for the time being. However, it hit the unfortunate Carlos Sainz, who lost an additional engine that went up in smoke. The damage was already done anyway with a ten-place grid penalty. All this on his twenty-third birthday… For Nico Hülkenberg, a hydraulic issue kept him in the Renault garage until the end of the session.
Oooops… Sainz’s engine goes up in smoke. That’s not the kind of birthday toast he was expecting! 😮#ItalianGP #FP2 pic.twitter.com/OrRtoWbjF9
— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) September 1, 2017
18 cars entered the last ten minutes of the session. 20 minus Hülkenberg and Magnussen, his great friend, broken suspension. Satisfied with their work, Bottas and Hamilton returned to the pits without taking part in the last five minutes. The two Ferrari drivers finished the work until the end of the session with their teammates. For Kimi Räikkönen, it was necessary to solve a balance problem here that prevented him from fully showcasing his talent.
Congratulations to Esteban Ocon’s diligence, with 41 laps completed. A great performance considering Sunday’s race only has “only” 53 laps…
Here is the overall ranking after FP2:
FP2 INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (90/90 MINS): Tight at the top, both @McLarenF1's in the top 10 #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/qZoLkrTXQZ
— Formula 1 (@F1) 1 septembre 2017
From our special correspondent in Monza
