Australia – Free Practice 2: Hamilton puts Mercedes on top, Grosjean and Lotus flop

During the first thirty minutes, Caterham announces that Kamui Kobayashi will not be able to drive due to a problem with the fuel system, forcing the Japanese driver to abandon the idea of participating in these tests. The session starts poorly for Romain Grosjean, who faces an electronics issue, while Lewis Hamilton manages to take to the track. The other Lotus is also immobilized. Many drivers record times, with some impressive maneuvers like Sebastian Vettel nearly spinning out but recovering just in time. Kevin Magnussen also has his moment at the first corner. Mercedes engines dominate the top spots, with only the two Red Bull and Ferrari drivers making it into the top 10 without being equipped with the German power unit. The drivers also begin evaluating the soft tires, which allows Nico Rosberg to take the lead with a time of 1:29.782.

During the second half-hour, most drivers use soft tires to set their reference times, gaining almost 2 seconds compared to medium tires. The only Caterham representative for this second practice session, Marcus Ericsson, is forced to retire due to a hydraulic problem. With the soft tires, Lewis Hamilton ranks ahead of Nico Rosberg, the two Mercedes ahead of the Red Bulls, with Button sandwiched between them. The German Mercedes driver, meanwhile, begins a race simulation. As drivers push the limits of their cars, there are frequent skids as well as minor tire lock-ups.

During the last third of this session, the drivers perform their race simulation to work on fuel consumption and tire evaluation. During these long stints, the drivers lap about 5 seconds off their best time. Räikkönen gives Ferrari a real scare by brushing against a wall in the second sector, with barely a paper’s width of clearance. At the end of the session, two drivers are stuck in different gravel traps: Nico Hülkenberg and Romain Grosjean. The German also braked on the grass, while the Frenchman suffered from a brake distribution problem, meant to be automatic and reliable… Problems are piling up and looking increasingly diverse at Lotus.

This session concludes with a clear dominance of the Mercedes on the timing sheets, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. Many problems for certain teams: Pastor Maldonado and Kamui Kobayashi were unable to complete a single lap, while Marcus Ericsson had to step down after his installation lap due to a hydraulic issue.

Free Practice 2 Results of the 2014 Australian Grand Prix: