F1 Styrian GP: Verstappen leads FP2 after Hamilton loses best lap to track limits
Max Verstappen led second practice for the Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix on Friday afternoon after title rival Lewis Hamilton lost his best time to a track limits breach.
After setting the pace in FP1 at the Red Bull Ring earlier in the day, Verstappen emerged as an early leader in second practice, trading fastest laps on the hard compound tyre with Hamilton in the Mercedes.
Drivers spent the early part of the session with one eye on the weather due to an 80% chance of rain, but managed to complete all of their running on dry tyres with only a few raindrops falling.
Verstappen set the pace for Red Bull on the hards before making the switch to softs slightly later than Hamilton, who was able to go fastest with his first run on the red-ringed compound with a time of 1m05.796s.
Hamilton wound up a second run on the softs and shaved four-tenths of a second off his time, whittling it down to 1m05.335s - only for the lap to be deleted because he breached track limits.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Replays showed Hamilton fighting to keep his car within track limits at the exit of the fast right-hander, but as he put all four wheels beyond the red-and-white kerb, the time was deleted.
It meant Verstappen - who crossed the line just moments after Hamilton - inherited P1 thanks to his best lap of 1m05.412s, which he fell one-tenth short of beating with his second effort on the softs.
The lap deletion left Hamilton fourth in the final timesheets after McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon both rose into the top three with their soft tyre runs.
Ocon had briefly led FP2 with a lap of 1m05.790s before Verstappen went quicker, with Ricciardo also leapfrogging the Frenchman to finish the session in P2, trailing his former Red Bull team-mate by three-tenths of a second.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas struggled to match the pace of their respective team-mates at Red Bull and Mercedes through FP2. Perez finished the session ninth, while Bottas ended up 12th after being one of the first drivers to set a time on the soft tyres.
A bizarre moment for Bottas saw him spin in the pit lane while pulling out of his Mercedes box on cold tyres, leaving his car pointing at the pit wall. He thankfully avoided the McLaren mechanics standing nearby, who swiftly helped turn the car around.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
McLaren was quick to report the incident to FIA race director Michael Masi, calling it “absolutely ridiculous” and warning Bottas “could have taken our guys out there”. The stewards will investigate the incident after the session.
Fernando Alonso ensured both Alpine drivers featured towards the front of the field by taking fifth in FP2, finishing 0.037s off Ocon’s lap, while fellow world champion Sebastian Vettel ended the session sixth for Aston Martin.
Lando Norris took seventh for McLaren ahead of Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin car, with Perez following in ninth for Red Bull. Antonio Giovinazzi rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo.
Ferrari had a tough session as Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc finished 11th and 13th, respectively. Sainz was fortunate to continue after spinning on the kerb at Turn 5 early on, while Leclerc reported that he had struggled on his best soft-tyre lap.
Kimi Raikkonen finished 14th for Alfa Romeo ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda, with George Russell leading Williams’ efforts in 16th place, finishing in front of Haas driver Mick Schumacher.
Nikita Mazepin and Nicholas Latifi spun within two minutes of each other in the opening half of the session, but both were able to continue, ending the session 18th and 19th. Latifi spun his Williams after touching the gravel at the exit of Turn 6, while Mazepin ran wide at Turn 4.
Pierre Gasly was ruled out of FP2 shortly before the session started after Honda was forced to complete a lengthy check on his power unit, having noticed some irregular data from opening practice. The Frenchman spent FP2 sat on the AlphaTauri pit wall with the engineers.
F1 Styrian Grand Prix - FP2 results
| Cla | Driver | Laps | Time | Gap | Interval | km/h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen | 37 | 1'05.412 | 237.644 | ||
| 2 |  Daniel Ricciardo | 35 | 1'05.748 | 0.336 | 0.336 | 236.430 |
| 3 |  Esteban Ocon | 35 | 1'05.790 | 0.378 | 0.042 | 236.279 |
| 4 |  Lewis Hamilton | 35 | 1'05.796 | 0.384 | 0.006 | 236.257 |
| 5 |  Fernando Alonso | 39 | 1'05.827 | 0.415 | 0.031 | 236.146 |
| 6 |  Sebastian Vettel | 38 | 1'05.934 | 0.522 | 0.107 | 235.763 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | 39 | 1'05.994 | 0.582 | 0.060 | 235.548 |
| 8 |  Lance Stroll | 36 | 1'06.079 | 0.667 | 0.085 | 235.245 |
| 9 |  Sergio Perez | 36 | 1'06.089 | 0.677 | 0.010 | 235.210 |
| 10 |  Antonio Giovinazzi | 37 | 1'06.145 | 0.733 | 0.056 | 235.010 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | 39 | 1'06.147 | 0.735 | 0.002 | 235.003 |
| 12 |  Valtteri Bottas | 32 | 1'06.251 | 0.839 | 0.104 | 234.634 |
| 13 |  Charles Leclerc | 39 | 1'06.270 | 0.858 | 0.019 | 234.567 |
| 14 | Kimi Raikkonen | 41 | 1'06.297 | 0.885 | 0.027 | 234.472 |
| 15 |  Yuki Tsunoda | 39 | 1'06.451 | 1.039 | 0.154 | 233.928 |
| 16 | George Russell | 39 | 1'06.628 | 1.216 | 0.177 | 233.307 |
| 17 | Mick Schumacher | 29 | 1'06.886 | 1.474 | 0.258 | 232.407 |
| 18 |  Nikita Mazepin | 30 | 1'07.404 | 1.992 | 0.518 | 230.621 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | 32 | 1'07.669 | 2.257 | 0.265 | 229.718 |
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | 0 | ||||
| View full results | ||||||
Related video
Previous article
Aston Martin ‘working on’ start date for Red Bull F1 signing Fallows
Next article
Grand Prix F1 practice results: Verstappen dominates in Styria
Verstappen v Hamilton: Who was at fault?
Formula 1: Sprint Qualifying analysis
How Lotus F1 uncovered, then squandered its last ‘unfair advantage’
Cast in the mould of its founder Colin Chapman, Lotus was powerful and daring but flawed – as it proved through further soaring peaks and painful troughs into the 1980s. DAMIEN SMITH examines a game-changing era
The core problems Yas Marina’s long-awaited tweaks won't address
OPINION: Changes to the layout of Abu Dhabi’s circuit aim to reverse the trend of insipid Formula 1 races there - the promoter has even described one of the new corners as “iconic”. And that, argues STUART CODLING, is one of this venue’s abiding failings
How Ferrari offered Britain's next F1 prospect what Red Bull couldn't
Last year's Formula 2 runner-up Callum Ilott could be on his way to becoming the first Briton to contest a grand prix in an Alfa Romeo since Reg Parnell in 1950. But, says OLEG KARPOV, the Ferrari Driver Academy protege is having to temper his ambition at the moment – outwardly at least…
The signs that point to F1's rude health
OPINION: Formula 1's calendar might still be facing disruption as the pandemic affects travel but, says MARK GALLAGHER, the business itself is fundamentally strong thanks to the epic rivalry taking place on track and the consistent arrival of new sponsors
The unexpected benefit of F1’s sprint race repeat
OPINION: Formula 1's sprint race trial at Silverstone drew mixed feedback on Saturday, but there remained the true test of how it would impact Sunday's Grand Prix. While fans were busy marvelling at Fernando Alonso's progress, a key lesson was being learned that would directly contribute to the dramatic lap one clash at Copse the following day
The off-track considerations that led to F1’s Hamilton/Verstappen Silverstone shunt
OPINION: Formula 1’s 2021 title fight turned ugly last weekend when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at the start of the British Grand Prix. Verstappen thankfully walked away unharmed, but this had been a clash long-since coming
Will 2022's all-new cars look like F1's concept model?
Formula 1 provided its clearest example yet of what the 2022 cars are set to look like when it presented a full-scale concept to the world during the build-up to last weekend’s British Grand Prix. Underneath the special shiny livery was a design that hinted at the future, but teams will be digging into key areas that may reap differing results
British Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2021 British Grand Prix will live long in the memory for the dramatic clash between Formula 1's two title protagonists, which opened the door for other drivers to capitalise. One did so in spectacular fashion, while others fluffed their lines
