F1 70th Anniversary GP Live Updates - Friday practice

By: Jake Boxall-Legge

Summary


	Hamilton tops the times in FP2 for 70th Anniversary GP, turning the tables on FP1 pace-setter Bottas
	Ricciardo best of the rest in third, 0.8s behind Hamilton
	Racing Point stand-in Hulkenberg closely matched with team-mate Stroll despite loose seat
	Session red-flagged two minutes early with Giovinazzi's Alfa Romeo stranded at Becketts, moments after Vettel is stranded at Copse with engine failure

Status: Stopped

18:44 It's been an eventful FP2, thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you tomorrow for FP3 and quali - take care for now!

18:44 Here's the report from FP2:

F1 70th Anniversary GP: Hamilton beats Bottas in FP2 at Silverstone

Lewis Hamilton beat Valtteri Bottas to the top spot in FP2 for Formula 1's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, with the Mercedes drivers setting their best tyres on different tyre compounds

18:42

Charles LeBlur.

18:39 So, lots for the teams to digest overnight ready for qualifying tomorrow. Mainly down to tyre life.

18:37

18:35 33 laps for Kvyat in that session then, making him the highest lapper of the field in FP2. Russell and Leclerc both on 32.

18:32 Giovinazzi reached for a gear that wasn't there, and hit trouble coming into Maggotts.

18:32 11. Albon, 12. Gasly, 13. Kvyat, 14. Vettel, 15. Grosjean, 16. Russell, 17. Raikkonen, 18. Magnussen, 19. Latifi, 20. Giovinazzi.

18:31 Here's a run-down of the order in that session: 1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Ricciardo, 4. Verstappen, 5. Stroll, 6. Hulkenberg, 7. Leclerc, 8. Norris, 9. Sainz, 10. Ocon

18:30 So, Lewis Hamilton ends FP2 on top, 0.1s clear of Bottas. Ricciardo takes P3.

18:29 That'll be session over, as it will not be restarted.

18:29 We have a red flag, as Giovinazzi stops at Becketts.

18:28 Vettel's parked up at the old scrutineering spot at Copse - which always reminds me of my old uni's time in Formula Student in what, 2015? Our clutch failed pretty dramatically, as I recall.

18:26 A very audible thud as Vettel left Woodcote, which sounded like a someone punching a water cooler. Or similar.

18:25 That's a VSC to clear up the Ferrari's oily excretions.

18:24 Vettel has an engine failure! He's stopped at the national paddock, having leaked oil all over the old start-finish line.

18:21 Raikkonen has an off at Becketts, just feeling a snap as he made his way towards the Hangar straight.

18:20 Track temp has indeed dropped to 36 degrees C over the course of the session, no doubt helped by the cloud cover.

18:18 Hulkenberg pits, unable to shake off his loose seat.

18:17 "I don't understand what he was doing, to be honest", Kvyat says of the passing Sainz. "But I hope he enjoyed it..."

18:17 Leclerc, now on softs, is about to log his 26th tour of Silverstone too.

18:16 Most laps of the session so far goes to Vettel and Kvyat, on 26 respectively. That's nearly half-a-race.

18:15 "We have seen the vibrations on data, but you are still safe," Leclerc is told. Still, he's boxing regardless.

18:14 Perhaps some are wondering why some drivers are bothering with softs - there may always be a late safety car which could prompt a late switch to the red-walled compound. Better the devil you know...

18:12 Vettel's discarded front-left looked pretty gnarly. Leclerc's got a pretty big blister on his rear-right, so each tyre is taking a beating around here.

18:12 But what the hell do I know? I'm not a strategist - I can barely remember where I leave my phone half the time.

18:11 So it looks like we'll be well within two-stop territory in the race - if not three. Hard tyres look pretty competitive in the right hands, but being able to extend the stint on mediums without losing too much pace will be key.

18:09 There are 20 minutes remaining of FP2.

18:08 Ricciardo, on hards, is pretty consistently in the low 1m32s. The Mercedes pair? Well among the 1m30s on the medium compound.

18:07 The softs seem to be rapidly degrading from 1m32s times into the 1m33s. Russell (on mediums) is in the late 1m32s window, which isn't a bad effort from the Williams driver. That's on a par with what Leclerc's currently doing on the same tyre.

18:04 Hulkenberg complains that his seat is a bit loose, which can't be too pleasant!

18:03 Norris, on worn softs, is circulating about 0.8s down on Hulkenberg on mediums, and 0.5s down on Leclerc on mediums.

18:01 And it's the status quo on this lap - sure, we don't know about fuel loads, but tete-a-tete Hulkenberg's got a nice advantage on Leclerc.

18:00 That gap went up to about half a second, Leclerc losing something extra in the final part of the lap - presumably in straightline speed.

17:59 Leclerc's also on a similar run, and they're close on the track. Times are comparable, Hulkenberg about 0.3s faster on this lap so far.

17:58 The track's hardly a hive of activity at the moment - Hulkenberg is on a race run on his mediums, running in the 1m31s.

17:55

Charles and the chopper - Leclerc spots a wild helicopter on his travels

17:52 Ricciardo fires his way up to third, getting 0.06s clear of Verstappen to now occupy the best-of-the-rest spot. Or lead F1.5, if you like.

17:50 There's a few drivers circulating on softs, presumably to see how far they can get them into a race - proving our earlier predictions very wrong. We'll take the L here.