Russia – Free Practice 2: Vettel and Ferrari on top, Verstappen on the back foot

This morning, it was Kimi Räikkönen who propelled his Ferrari to the top of the timesheet, ahead of his Finnish compatriot Valtteri Bottas in his Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in the other German car.

By setting this best time, Räikkönen responded in the best possible way to the critics who said he was not very concerned with his driving at the moment.

For this second free practice session, the weather conditions are similar to those in the morning, with clear skies and temperatures around 20° in the air and 35° on the track.

Nico Hülkenberg regains possession of his Renault after giving up his seat this morning to the unfortunate Sergey Sirotkin, who unfortunately was not able to set a time due to a problem with his car. The Russian may have the chance to be offered a new opportunity to prove himself during the season given his lack of luck this morning.

The German is actually the first to take to the track, equipped with Super Soft tires with a red band. For now, no driver has yet fitted the Ultra Soft tires, but this shouldn’t last long.

The brakes change but the problems remain the same for Haas and Romain Grosjean. The French driver is again complaining about his brake ducts and can’t solve the eternal problem that has been hindering the American cars since last year. Yet Haas switched to the Carbone Industrie brand, which was tested during private testing in Bahrain and seemed to have given them satisfaction.

🗣 “I completely lost it into Turn 4…” @RGrosjean tells the @HaasF1Team #RussianGP 🇷🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/5ffq6HwesL

— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 avril /f1/actualite/21899-russie-essais-libres-1-raikkonen-repond-aux-critiques-et-signe-le-meilleur-temps.html

The two McLarens take to the track, including Stoffel Vandoorne’s, which underwent a full power unit replacement between the two sessions. The Belgian will therefore be able to participate in the practice but will be penalized on the starting grid for the race on Sunday.

After 30 minutes of the session, all the drivers have set a time on Super Soft tires. It’s Lewis Hamilton who grabs the provisional best time with 1:35.710, almost 3 tenths ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and already more than half a second in front of Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. Felipe Massa, Max Verstappen, Sergio Pérez, Esteban Ocon, and Nico Hülkenberg complete the Top 10.

It is therefore time for the top contenders to put on the Ultra Soft tires with the purple band, which should significantly bring down the lap times. No sooner said than done for Räikkönen, who lowers his time to 1.34.721, a second and a half faster than his best time this morning. A record immediately beaten by Vettel at 1.34.120, prompting the Mercedes to also come out on Ultra Softs.

Can’t let Ferrari have all the fun… 😉

Let’s give these purple raspberry flavoured UltraSoft @Pirellisport a try!#VB77 💜 #RussianGP #FP2 pic.twitter.com/E8Y9G49T7L

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) 28 avril 2017

But the Mercedes are struggling to match the times of the Ferraris. Bottas and Hamilton are trailing by 7 tenths off the best times of Vettel and Räikkönen. Behind them, the Red Bulls are even further back, in 5th and 6th place, 1.5 seconds off the quickest times. They are nevertheless ahead of Massa, Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, Hülkenberg, and Sergio Pérez, who are over 2 seconds behind.

A period of calm is looming over Sochi, and most of the drivers are returning to their garages before starting the last half hour of the session, which will be dedicated to long stints in preparation for the race.

Romain Grosjean encounters many problems at the start of the weekend driving his Haas. After brake issues, it is now his gearbox causing trouble this afternoon. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen loses engine power and stops his Red Bull at the entrance of the pit lane, causing a yellow flag.

Problems for @redbullracing 😤 @Max33Verstappen grinds to a halt at Turn 16 – his FP3 looks over #RussianGP 🇷🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/HR1r8XDv7s

— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 avril /f1/actualite/21899-russie-essais-libres-1-raikkonen-repond-aux-critiques-et-signe-le-meilleur-temps.html

In the battle of long stints on Soft tires between Ferrari and Mercedes, neither team is really gaining an advantage over the other. This suggests that the Mercedes drivers might have been holding back on fast laps.

Despite a final quick lap, the session times are not improving and the standings are as follows:

FP2 PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION (90/90 MINS): @ScuderiaFerrari looking very strong 🏋️ #RussianGP 🇷🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/3Og5VWi2k4

— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 avril /f1/actualite/21899-russie-essais-libres-1-raikkonen-repond-aux-critiques-et-signe-le-meilleur-temps.html