Miami Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Russell sets fastest time, Sainz hits the wall

Second free practice session under the heat of Miami for the twenty drivers on the grid. After his crash in FP1, Valtteri Bottas was unable to hit the track on Friday evening. The other nineteen drivers started on medium compound tires. The Ferraris immediately took control, setting the best lap times, with Perez sandwiched between Sainz and Leclerc. However, the Mexican had a little scare at the start of the session with a spin at turn 17.

Sainz once again makes a mistake, Verstappen let down by his car.

While he had the best time, Carlos Sainz made a mistake at turn 14. The Spaniard hit the wall, damaging his car and ending his session. Mistakes continue for Sainz, who was already at fault during the first practice session, although he managed to keep his car on track.

A premature end to Carlos Sainz’s FP2 session 💔#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Daz29vaFD1

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 6, 2022

After about ten minutes of interruption, the single-seaters were able to resume the track. But as Max Verstappen was just starting his session, the Dutchman quickly complained about a problem with his steering wheel related to the power steering.

A few turns later, the reigning champion was even crawling on the Florida course with smoke and a few flames coming out of his right rear wheel. “Super Max” managed to bring his car back to the pits without being able to complete a single timed lap.

Mercedes in shape

The surprise of the day is certainly the comeback of Mercedes. The Silver Arrows showed a very good pace and, above all, the W13 seemed much easier to drive for Hamilton and Russell. The young Briton set the fastest time with 25 minutes to go, a time that will be a reference until the end of the session. Lewis Hamilton was also good. The seven-time world champion took the fourth time, but more than two tenths behind his teammate.

If the Mercedes seems to have taken a step forward in terms of performance, the issue of porpoising doesn’t seem to be fully resolved. Russell and Hamilton once again suffered a lot from the bounces of the W13.

Latifi, experiencing a breakdown, triggers a red flag.

At the end of the session, the engine of Nicholas Latifi’s Williams cut out while the Canadian driver was on the track. Although he managed to pull over to the side of the circuit, a new red flag was raised. It was a short pause that allowed the remaining 16 drivers to resume the track. Kevin Magnussen and Sebastian Vettel both spun without any consequences, but the positions did not change.

Fernando Alonso takes a great fifth place, ahead of Norris and Gasly. Zhou, Ocon and Magnussen complete the top 10. After his crash, Sainz is only eleventh. It is worth noting that less than a second separates the leader, George Russell, from Kévin Magnussen in tenth. A promising sign for the excitement before tomorrow’s qualifiers (10pm, Canal+).