Malaysia – Free Practice 2: Vettel leads a session shortened by a Grosjean crash

After a first practice session disrupted by rain this morning, the weather seems to want to be favorable for this second session.

The regular drivers who had given their cars to the third drivers this morning are back in their seats, and all the cars hit the track to take advantage of the dry conditions. It’s actually Kimi Räikkönen who tops the timesheets with a lap of 1:32.836, immediately beaten by Max Verstappen’s Red Bull at 1:32.739. The Dutchman has been on a roll since the Singapore weekend and once again positions himself at the top this weekend.

The track conditions remain tricky, however, and while the two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, equipped with Super Soft tires, move to the front, the two Mercedes experience difficulties and go off the track, Lewis Hamilton just after Valtteri Bottas. The Briton and the Finn are in 6th and 7th place at mid-session.

And minutes later his teammate @LewisHamilton follows suit…#MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 #FP2 pic.twitter.com/loboy9UxPB

— Formula 1 (@F1) 29 septembre 2017

At Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly is stuck in the pit for a long time due to a technical issue. He manages to get back on track, but his car is unruly, as confirmed by his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who finds his car impossible to drive after going off the track into the gravel. The two drivers are in 15th and 16th positions.

On the other hand, everything seems to be going well in the McLaren camp. While this morning Fernando Alonso had taken advantage of the track conditions to climb to third place, this time he reached fifth place on merit, just over a second off Vettel’s best time.

20 minutes before the end of the session, Romain Grosjean suffered a major crash. His car is destroyed, but the French driver exits on his own. The session is neutralized with a red flag.

Drain cover opens, rips Grosjean’s tyre apart and fires him into the wall Blog: https://t.co/b3qcRtpmA2 #SkyF1 #MalaysiaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/aFJ8x5AHTY

— Sky Sports F1 🏎 (@SkySportsF1) 29 septembre 2017

The right rear tire of the Haas suddenly came off, propelling its driver into the wall at high speed. It appears that a curb is defective at turn number 14. On the radio, Kimi Räikkönen reports that “something came out of the curb.” It was actually a drain that came loose after the Ferrari passed, and the Haas, which was coming up behind, ran over it, causing its blowout.

The safety car goes out to inspect the track with Charlie Whiting on board, and the race direction decides to end the session, as safety conditions are not guaranteed. So, just like this morning, the session is cut short. Tomorrow morning’s third session will therefore be of paramount importance for the rest of the weekend.

The full FP2 standings:

INITIAL CLASSIFICATION: END OF FP2 (RED FLAG)#MalaysiaGP 🇲🇾 #FP2 pic.twitter.com/DxV9wDbF0m

— Formula 1 (@F1) 29 septembre 2017