Ferrari decidedly aggressive in Melbourne. In the second free session, with the chronometric references significantly lower than the first session which saw Lando Norris in first position, Charles emerged forcefully Leclerc. Despite some mistakes, the Monegasque on soft tires set the first time in 1’17″277 while Carlos Sainzauthor of a good lap, finished third in 1’17″707. The team principal Frederic Vasseur had warned, on the eve, that in Australia they would do everything to put Red Bull in difficulty. The conditions seem to respect his prediction Sainz appears in good shape after the rest he was forced to take following the appendix surgery he had to undergo in Jeddah, where he was quickly replaced by the young Oliver Bearman. The Spaniard, however, will undergo a further investigations. Bearman is ready for a possible second replacement.
Max Verstappen ended up sandwiched between the two Ferraris. The Dutchman entered the track slightly late after scratching the bottom of his Red Bull, then also encountered traffic on a couple of occasions while launching on the soft Pirellis. But in his free lap, he was unable to come close to Leclerc’s time performance, remaining within 4 tenths. Sergio Perez’s second Red Bull is even further away, eighth.
Not bad Aston Martin-Mercedes with Lance Stroll fourth and Fernando Alonso fifth. The Canadian took a big risk at turn 7 by jumping on the curb just like Alexander Albon in the first round, but compared to his Williams rival he avoided ending up against the wall. Speaking of Albon, his Williams finds itself with a heavily damaged body, the team doesn’t have a spare and therefore if it can’t be repaired following safety regulations, the Anglo-Thai driver’s weekend is over today. Thrill also for Logan Sargeant in the other Williams, who ended up spinning.
As in Jeddah, Mercedes fails to shine. George Russell, after a first round that seemed promising, was only sixth while Lewis Hamilton continues to argue with the W15 and is actually 18th. McLaren-Mercedes, which had led the standings with Lando Norris in the opening round, is back in the ranks. Yuki Tsunoda confirmed himself in the top 10 with Racing Bulls-Honda
Friday 22 March 2024, free practice 2
1 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1’17″277 – 26 giri
2 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) – 1’17″658 – 21
3 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) – 1’17″707 – 25
4 – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) – 1’17″822 – 29
5 – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin-Mercedes) – 1’17″912 – 31
6 – George Russell (Mercedes) – 1’17″951 – 24
7 – Oscar Piastri (McLaren-Mercedes) – 1’18″077 – 29
8 – Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) – 1’18″090 – 33
9 – Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) – 1’18″155 – 23
10 – Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls-Honda) – 1’18″188 – 27
11 – Guan Yu Zhou (Sauber-Ferrari) – 1’18″421 – 32
12 – Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls-Honda) – 1’18″534 – 30
13 – Logan Sargeant (Williams-Mercedes) – 1’18″578 – 23
14 – Valtteri Bottas (Sauber-Ferrari) – 1’18″585 – 32
15 – Pierre Gasly (Alpine-Renault) – 1’18″691 – 33
16 – Nico Hulkenberg (Haas-Ferrari) – 1’18″702 – 28
17 – Esteban Ocon (Alpine-Renault) – 1’18″705 – 32
18 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1’18″834 – 23
19 – Kevin Magnussen (Haas-Ferrari) – 1’19″275 – 31
20 – Alexander Albon (Williams-Mercedes) – senza tempo – 0
INSIGHTS
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#Ferrari #leading #Leclerc #Sainz #Verstappen #middle
