Red Bull Ring F2: Leclerc leads practice from Prema team-mate Fuoco
Ferrari Formula 1 junior driver Charles Leclerc topped Formula 2 practice at the Red Bull Ring ahead of his Prema Racing team-mate Antonio Fuoco
Current championship leader Leclerc produced a best time of 1m14.356s, which was 0.365 seconds quicker than Fuoco's fastest lap.
McLaren F1 junior Nyck de Vries completed the top three for Rapax.
Several drivers - including Leclerc - had off-track moments on the short but high-speed circuit.
The Monegasque racer's came in the final five minutes of the session when he locked his left-front and then right-front wheels at the downhill Turn 4 right-hander.
Leclerc skated across the gravel trap but was able to stop his car just in front of the barriers before rejoining via an escape road.
Nicholas Latifi finished fourth-fastest ahead of his DAMS team-mate Oliver Rowland, who enters the weekend second in the points.
Sergio Canamasas was sixth in his first appearance for the Rapax squad, and was among the contingent of drivers to lock up heavily under braking for the tight uphill right-hander of Turn 3.
Nobuharu Matsushita finished seventh for ART Grand Prix, just in front of his team-mate Alexander Albon, who is making his return to F2 competition after missing the previous round in Baku after he fractured his collarbone in a mountain biking accident.
Ralph Boschung and Luca Ghiotto completed the top 10 for Campos Racing and Russian Time respectively.
Baku sprint race winner Norman Nato was 11th fastest for Arden International ahead of Artem Makelov and Jordan King.
Raffaele Marciello, who is making his return to the F1 support series for the Trident team, finished practice in 17th place.
The session was brought to an early end when Sergio Sette Camara stopped his MP Motorsport car at the entrance to the pitlane.
That caused the virtual safety car to be deployed, moments before the heavens opened as the drivers practiced their starting procedures.
PRACTICE TIMES:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Prema Racing | 1m14.356s | - | 25 |
| 2 | Antonio Fuoco | Prema Racing | 1m14.721s | 0.365s | 23 |
| 3 | Nyck de Vries | Rapax | 1m14.730s | 0.374s | 24 |
| 4 | Nicholas Latifi | DAMS | 1m14.822s | 0.466s | 27 |
| 5 | Oliver Rowland | DAMS | 1m14.865s | 0.509s | 25 |
| 6 | Sergio Canamasas | Rapax | 1m14.877s | 0.521s | 23 |
| 7 | Nobuharu Matsushita | ART Grand Prix | 1m14.915s | 0.559s | 20 |
| 8 | Alexander Albon | ART Grand Prix | 1m14.951s | 0.595s | 26 |
| 9 | Ralph Boschung | Campos Racing | 1m15.029s | 0.673s | 20 |
| 10 | Luca Ghiotto | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m15.031s | 0.675s | 23 |
| 11 | Norman Nato | Pertamina Arden | 1m15.066s | 0.710s | 28 |
| 12 | Artem Markelov | RUSSIAN TIME | 1m15.081s | 0.725s | 24 |
| 13 | Jordan King | MP Motorsport | 1m15.099s | 0.743s | 26 |
| 14 | Sean Gelael | Pertamina Arden | 1m15.100s | 0.744s | 25 |
| 15 | Sergio Sette Camara | MP Motorsport | 1m15.174s | 0.818s | 20 |
| 16 | Louis Deletraz | Racing Engineering | 1m15.246s | 0.890s | 26 |
| 17 | Gustav Malja | Racing Engineering | 1m15.480s | 1.124s | 24 |
| 18 | Raffaele Marciello | Trident | 1m15.488s | 1.132s | 25 |
| 19 | Robert Visoiu | Campos Racing | 1m15.554s | 1.198s | 26 |
| 20 | Nabil Jeffri | Trident | 1m15.643s | 1.287s | 26 |
Previous article
Marciello back to single-seaters for Austria F2 round with Trident
Next article
Injured Formula 2 racer Albon says return better than expected
How Campos Racing has bounced back from its devastating loss
After the sudden death of its founder in January, Formula 2 stalwart Campos Racing was left facing its hardest season to date. But new team boss Adrian Jr is determined to honour his father’s legacy and has returned the team to its winning ways
How F2 and F3's flawed format changes could prove shortlived
After a chaotic 2020, marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the FIA brought in radical changes to Formula 2 and 3. But less than 12 months later, there are talks of them being reversed after all did not go to plan…
The Red Bull F1 junior aiming to defy geographical odds
It's a long way from Pukekohe New Zealand to Milton Keynes, but Red Bull's Kiwi protege Liam Lawson has defied plenty of odds to reach the rung below F1. He's endured disappointment since winning on his F2 debut in Bahrain, but is determined to turn his season around and prove himself worthy of a place in F1
How Red Bull's next F1 hopeful turned around his season
Having impressed in Formula 3, Juri Vips looked to be next cab off the rank in Red Bull's prestigious Junior Team before his 2020 schedule was dealt a heavy blow by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a tough start to life in Formula 2, Vips is showing signs of a recovery - could he be the first Estonian to reach Formula 1?
The making of an F1 hopeful re-writing the F2 record books
He'd marked himself out as a star of the future in last year's FIA Formula 3 championship, but 17-year-old Theo Pourchaire underlined his credentials by winning his first Formula 2 race in the Monaco feature. Sauber junior status gives him a clear route to the top, but with wisdom beyond his years, he's not getting caught up in his own hype
The 10 greatest F2 races contested by F1 drivers
Formula 2 used to be about more than providing a stepping stone to F1. For three decades it often provided another setting for the world’s best to fight it out. Autosport picks out the very best races
The F1 hopeful living two lives to keep his dream alive
Having lost his backing from Red Bull, Richard Verschoor has had to graft to continue his ascent up the single-seater ladder. An impressive Formula 2 debut in Bahrain, despite the lateness of his deal, shows his unorthodox approach is paying dividends
Was Formula 2’s radical format switch a success?
Going into the 2021 Formula 2 season the biggest talking point wasn’t about any drivers or teams, but the new race weekend format. Created partly out of financial necessity but also to spice up the action, the Bahrain opener provided a snapshot of the positives and negatives to come
