Belgium – Free Practice 2: Pure Speed Advantage for Hamilton, Questions on Tire Usage

The threat loomed over the Williams garage. Crashed against the wall at the exit of the Combes sequence, right at the start of FP1, the afternoon session began without Felipe Massa. The Brazilian had torn off the entire left side, along with the suspensions and both front and rear wheels. While the mechanics of the British team hurried to rebuild a new chassis, the remaining 19 drivers took to the track under pleasant weather, currently dry and relatively warm for Spa’s climate: 22 degrees in the air.

Among the first in action, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen lost the use of their DRS. One after the other, the rear flaps of both cars opened in the opposite direction, reminiscent of Fernando Alonso during the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2013. Both returned to the pits at the end of their installation lap.

Early FP2 problems for @RGrosjean – his DRS is stuck in the open position #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/pO1Q9eYNgb

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 25

Meanwhile, nine cars were grinding the tarmac. Sebastian Vettel clocked the fastest time in 1:46.405 on super-soft tires, though it was very provisional. The German driver had a tense moment during his installation lap at the ninth corner. Kimi Räikkönen chose soft tires, taking third place behind Max Verstappen, within the same tenth of a second as the leader. Daniel Ricciardo encountered a handling issue, forcing him to cut short his first stint.

Hamilton and Bottas reveal themselves on ultra-softs

At Mercedes, waking from the nap occurred after a good twenty minutes. Still on soft tires, Lewis Hamilton took the lead with a time of 1:45.634. Despite being on super-softs, Bottas, in second place, was nearly seven-tenths behind. The difference was made in the second sector of the circuit. This sector was the scene of a misunderstanding between Magnussen and Pérez. Having passed the Force India driver, the Dane began zig-zagging right in front of him. Another curious maneuver from K-Mag indeed… the session continued to unfold peacefully nonetheless.

Serious matters occurred a few minutes later. The Mercedes and Ferrari contenders were on deck, equipped with their ultra-soft tires. From then on, the times began to drop. Hamilton seized the best time and was the first to go under 1’45’: exactly 1:44.753. The triple world champion didn’t achieve the fastest sector times but delivered three consistent sections. This time is quite indicative of the complexity of achieving a good lap time over the entire circuit with the cars.

Another lesson a little further down the rankings, both Renault drivers were in the top 10. Palmer boosted his morale by securing ninth position, with a time of 1:46.670, three-tenths behind his teammate. The Briton lost a place after Daniel Ricciardo appeared in the leading positions. Equipped with a Monza specification, featuring a narrow and lightly loaded rear wing, the Australian showed us an astonishing progression. Fastest in the first sector, his advantage automatically dissipates in the second sector, which requires much more downforce. An unprecedented feat given the characteristics of the RB 13.

In any case, these adjustments don’t seem very convincing. The Australian was nine-tenths behind his teammate half an hour before the session ended. The question now is: will his team continue in this direction for the rest of the weekend?

The rain to spoil the end of the program

The final third of the session proved more unpredictable. Rain is never far away at Spa-Francorchamps. Proof of this came with the appearance of a shower in the last sector of the circuit. Cautiously, Max Verstappen eased off once the track became drenched, followed by all his colleagues within about ten minutes.

More than a light shower, it was a true downpour that fell over the Ardennes slide. Two brave souls faced the drenched track for honor: Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso, both on intermediate tires. No lessons could be drawn from those moments spent surfing over seven kilometers. Even the spectators put away their chairs and barbecues for a while to take shelter!

The standings for this FP2 were as follows, with Lewis Hamilton dominating as the only driver under the 1’45” mark. Also noteworthy was Esteban Ocon’s eighth place, five tenths ahead of Sergio Pérez. Curiously, the Renault engine was the best represented among the top ten, with five competitors placed in this part of the table.

The main takeaway from today’s two practice sessions remains Lewis Hamilton’s domination in pure speed, despite not having used ultra-soft tires this morning. A small caveat, however: when questioned by Ted Kravitz on SkySports F1, Toto Wolff believes the gap is closer than it seems. Bluff, premonition? We’ll have to wait for tomorrow’s session to find out!

Until then, stay tuned to our website for the various updates of the day.

FP2 INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (90/90 MINS): A three-way battle at the weekend? #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/aCBoNNTS8m

— Formula 1 (@F1) 25 août /f1/actualite/22207-belgique-essais-libres-1-kimi-raikkonen-record-felipe-massa-dans-le-mur.html