Charles Leclerc ended Friday at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on top after setting the fastest lap during second practice, leading Oscar Piastri and Yuki Tsunoda.
Following an intriguing first practice session earlier in the day, Esteban Ocon led the pack out as FP2 began at 17:00 local time, with most of the drivers heading out early to set some initial laps.
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Nico Hulkenberg faced trouble, returning to the pits without setting a time due to an issue with his Haas. Williams also had a slow start as both cars remained in the garage up on the stands.
On track, the action intensified. Fernando Alonso was frustrated by a slow-moving Lewis Hamilton on the racing line, while Leclerc, despite leading the timesheets after initial runs, asked his engineer to check the steering on his Ferrari.
Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant eventually joined the session more than 20 minutes in, just as most drivers began focusing on their fast laps with soft tyres. Leclerc stayed on top during these runs, clocking a 1m 15.906s.
Piastri was 0.192s behind for McLaren in P2, while Tsunoda impressed by going third fastest in front of VCARB’s home crowd.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen struggled with grip in his Red Bull and showed frustration after a near-miss with Hamilton, who apologised for the incident.
As the session entered its final 15 minutes and various run plans unfolded, Leclerc, Piastri, and Tsunoda held their positions in the top three. However, Tsunoda will be investigated after the session for a potential practice start infringement.
Hamilton claimed P4 ahead of his Mercedes teammate George Russell in P5, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took P6. Verstappen ended the session in P7, his difficult hour compounded by a run across the gravel in the final minutes.
The Dutchman was followed by fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, who had irritated Leclerc in the final laps by moving slowly on the racing line.
Hulkenberg, despite his slow start, was the lead Haas in ninth, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in 10th. Daniel Ricciardo went 11th fastest for RB, with McLaren’s Lando Norris following in 12th.
Lance Stroll slotted into 13th for Aston Martin, one of several teams running upgrades this weekend, followed by the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in 14th and 15th respectively.
Valtteri Bottas was P16 for Kick Sauber, while Kevin Magnussen went P17 after sitting out FP1 to allow Oliver Bearman to run in his Haas. Albon and Sargeant ended a tough day for Williams in P18 and P20, with the Kick Sauber of Zhou Guanyu sandwiched between them in P19.
Emilia Romagna GP FP2 Results
2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP2, 17 May 2024
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