Styrian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Max Verstappen remains the man to beat, Ocon and Alpine impress

The first 20 minutes

It was under an overcast sky that the single-seaters made their comeback on the track, an overcast sky that announced rain in the minutes or hours to come. It was an opportunity for some to test the hard tires for the first time of the weekend.

What’s that coming over the hill?

Looks like it might be rain 🌧️#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/rq55BdFsoP

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2021

No rolling in this second free practice session for Pierre Gasly, an engine problem is affecting his AlphaTauri, which prevented him from taking part in this session. On the Alfa Romeo side, Kimi Räikkönen has taken back his seat for Free Practice 2.

This morning, Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari spun out at turn 4 once again after starting off. The Spaniard misjudged the placement of his car when accelerating again.

Carlos Sainz runs wide and spins at Turn 5 🔄

But he’s already back on track and everything appears fine. He is currently running in P11#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Bh7ayhYqgR

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2021

After 20 minutes of driving, Esteban Ocon was at the top of the timesheets (1:05.790) ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.006) and Sebastian Vettel (+0.144). The Red Bulls had not yet put on the soft tires at that point in the session.

At midday

Nicholas Latifi treated us to a nice off-track excursion at the beginning of the third sector, crossing the grass at high speed at the Red Bull Ring. Shortly after, Nikita Mazepin made the same mistake as Carlos Sainz at turn 4, ending up sideways on the track.

Nicholas Latifi goes for a high-speed spin on the exit of Turn 6

He then nurses his car back to the pits to see if there is any damage#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/3tVgGIbdpM

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2021

40 minutes after the start of the session, Max Verstappen regained his position as the top student, placing his RB16B at the top of the timing charts. With a time of 1:05.412 he was ahead of Daniel Ricciardo (+ 0.336) and Esteban Ocon (+0.378).

The last 20 minutes

Rare scene in Formula 1 and fortunately without consequences, as Valtteri Bottas left the pits, he went into a slide, stopping just a few meters from the McLaren mechanics. It was these same mechanics who helped the Finn to get going again. This event has been noted and will be judged by the race stewards after the session.

Valtteri Bottas spins in the pit lane after being released

He does very well to keep the car under control and avoid the barriers. He’s helped by the McLaren team and he’s now back on track#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/bRoftghlqA

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2021

The last part of this session was dedicated to relay simulations, drivers were able to evaluate the degradation of their different allocated tires this weekend.

Well placed this morning, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso’s Alpines once again delivered a good performance, finishing 3rd and 5th in the session. Another pleasant surprise comes from the Aston Martin team, which, after a difficult start to the season, is now stringing together good performances. Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll managed to place their cars in the top 10 (6th and 8th).

After the strong performances of Monaco and Baku, Ferrari is once again showing its weaknesses, with the Italian cars only in 11th and 13th place, driving the same lap times as the Alfa Romeo. Rain may be the saving grace for the Maranello team this Austrian weekend.

Free Practice 2 ranking