After Daniel Ricciardo set the pace for Red Bull Racing in first practice, Formula 1 returned for second practice ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. In second practice, teams began to conduct long distance running, with the aim of completing qualifying simulations at the end of the session.
Daniel Ricciardo tops Hungarian Grand Prix FP2 as red flags dominate session
Esteban Ocon returned to the field behind the wheel of his Force India in FP2 after sacrificing his seat to Alfonso Celis Jr in FP1. Kevin Magnussen also returned after handing over driving duties to Antonio Giovinazzi at Haas, however, was unable compete in the session due to extensive damage on his car.
Like FP1, FP2 saw a number of incidents and Pascal Wherlein brought out the third red flag of the weekend in the middle of the session when he spun in turn 6. This spin saw Wehrlein hit the outside wall of the corner with a lot of speed, suffering from two heavy blows to the side of his Sauber. This saw the German racer get taken to the medical center where he underwent examination after the accident for precaution.
The green flag waved again and the session was underway and drivers continued to struggle out on track. One man who was struggling was Williams’ Felipe Massa who had multiple spins in the middle sector of the circuit. Jolyon Palmer then caused another red flag when he spun his Renault into the wall in the final corner with only 16 minutes to go. This again disrupted the running of teams in the session meaning that little data could be taken from race simulations.
The green flag waved again with 12 minutes left on the clock and the session was again underway, and remained uninterrupted until the checkered flag waved to bring about the end of the session. Daniel Ricciardo again set the pace for Red Bull Racing with a best lap time of a 1:18.455, 0.183 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel who was second fastest. Valtteri Bottas was third fastest for Mercedes, 0.201 seconds off Ricciardo’s time.
McLaren again looked competitive in FP2 with Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne eighth and tenth fastest, just over one second off the pace. This weekend is important for McLaren due to the circuit’s low reliance on power, meaning that it is one of the team’s best opportunities this season to secure some much needed points.
Results from Practice 2 of the Hungarian Grand Prix:
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:18.455
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:18.638
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:18.656
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:18.755
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:18.779
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:18.951
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:19.714
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:19.815
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:19.834
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:19.909
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:20.126
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:20.266
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:20.577
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:20.791
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:20.869
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:21.175
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:21.345
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:21.504
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:21.559
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:21.722
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