Alpine’s Fernando Alonso went fastest during second practice for Formula 1’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos on Saturday afternoon.
As per Saturday practice at previous Sprint weekends at Silverstone and Monza drivers times did not trouble Friday’s best times owing to having no reason to undertake low-fuel simulations.
The session took place in warmer and sunnier conditions compared to Friday’s qualifying hour, with track temperature over 50c, and air temperature nudging 20c.
Cars were also locked into Parc Ferme conditions, as per Silverstone and Monza, meaning no set-up changes were permitted.
Most of the running was undertaken on Soft and Medium tyres as teams evaluate the best strategy for the 24-lap Sprint.
Alonso’s time of 1:11.238s was the fastest during the session as drivers focused on long runs.
The Spaniard’s lap was seven-tenths off the time set on Friday by slowest qualifier Nikita Mazepin during Q1.
There was little incident during a productive one-hour session for drivers.
But most of the focus remains off-track amid the ongoing uncertainty over the DRS legality on the rear wing of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Stewards reconvened to discuss the matter with Mercedes on Saturday morning, with Max Verstappen also summoned amid an alleged contravention of parc ferme regulations.
At the conclusion of second practice there was still no official decision from the stewards.
Hamilton was able to participate in the session in a different component of the same specification rear wing on his W12, with the one he ran during qualifying still impounded by the FIA.
Hamilton and Verstappen are due to line up together on the front row for Sprint.
Saturday’s 24-lap Sprint is scheduled for 16:30 local time.
[motorsport_result id=’76572′]
