70th Anniversary Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Hamilton on Top, Mechanical Problem for Vettel

After a first practice session dominated by Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes, the second session begins with temperatures at 30°C in the air and 42°C on the track.

It is Kevin Magnussen who sets the first time at 1’28″097.

Fastest driver this morning during FP1, Bottas takes the lead with a time of 1’25″917 on medium tires before Lewis Hamilton sets an initial fast lap in 1’25″911 on red compound tires. The Finn regains control with a time of 1’25″782, with the Mercedes cars being ultra-dominant once again in this session, boasting over seven hundredths of a second advantage over Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Even though the heat currently prevails over Silverstone, the weather is expected to worsen by Sunday, as rain could indeed disrupt the drivers and enliven the race.

After 20 minutes of running, the Renaults are in fourth place (Ocon) and eighth place (Ricciardo).

Here is the Top 5 ranking after 60 minutes of the session: Hamilton (1’25″606), Bottas, Ricciardo followed by Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll in his RP20. Sebastian Vettel is in fourteenth place, one and a half seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. The German is experiencing understeer and is struggling to find the right setup on his Ferrari.

A bit of action as Kevin Magnussen goes off at turn 14, climbing a bit too much onto the curb. It should be noted that the turn has been modified for this Grand Prix weekend. Indeed, it has caused a lot of problems for drivers who have frequently gone off into the dirt. This weekend, the FIA decided to extend the curb by several meters to avoid damaging the tires.

As often since the beginning of the season, Albon still can’t keep up with his teammate. With 15 minutes remaining in the session, he is ranked eleventh, half a second behind Verstappen.

Leclerc’s long stint is taking a toll on his tires. After 25 laps, we can observe blisters that have formed on the Monegasque’s red tires. Kvyat and Vettel have also completed 25 laps.

This causes a yellow flag 5 minutes before the end of the session after stopping at the side of the track for a probable oil leak. The virtual safety car is deployed.

It is then Giovinazzi’s turn with his Alfa Romeo to stop in the Becketts run-off area, which causes a red flag signaling the end of the session.

During these free practice sessions, the top French driver in the standings is Ocon in tenth position. Gasly is thirteenth and Grosjean fifteenth.

We learned that Charles Leclerc received a 200-euro fine for speeding in the pit lane during FP1.