Valtteri Bottas led the way during second practice for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, ahead of title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
Bottas clocked a time of 1:17.012s as drivers carried out qualifying simulations in sweltering conditions at the Hungaroring.
Track conditions peaked at 63.5c early on in the session – slightly cooler conditions are anticipated for the remainder of the weekend.
Bottas’ time was just 0.027s faster than team-mate Hamilton as Mercedes locked out the top two positions during the session.
Championship leader Verstappen, who headed the opening session, finished in third place, almost three-tenths down, as he regularly complained about the handling of his RB16B.
Team-mate Sergio Perez classified fifth in the sister car.
Ocon gives Alpine boost
Esteban Ocon endured a slump in form after signing a three-year deal with Alpine and changed chassis ahead of the most recent round at Silverstone.
Ocon affirmed on Thursday that his performance at Silverstone allayed any doubts he had, having returned to the top 10, and on Friday afternoon he classified a strong fourth.
Ocon, who regards Hungaroring as his favourite circuit, was seven-tenths down on leader Bottas, but held a gap of over three-tenths back to next nearest midfield opponent Pierre Gasly.
Gasly classified sixth as he maintained his strong pace from the earlier session, while Fernando Alonso reinforced Alpine’s performance by finishing seventh.
Aston Martin had both of its drivers in the top 10, with Sebastian Vettel in front of Lance Stroll, the pair split by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
That came at the expense of Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the thick of the midfield mix, albeit only 11th and 12th respectively.
Daniel Ricciardo finished the session in 13th position for McLaren
Tsunoda gets just one push lap
Yuki Tsunoda crashed out of the opening practice session after spinning through Turn 4.
The repairs required by AlphaTauri meant Tsunoda only appeared on track with two of the 60 minutes remaining in the session – giving him scope for just one push lap.
As a result he finished down in 17th position, ahead only of the Haas drivers, who sandwiched Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi.
Saturday’s final practice session is scheduled for 12:00 local time
[motorsport_result id='69444']
Discussion about this post