Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Verstappen 1st and Hülkenberg 3rd

Alonso regains strength

Relatively discreet during the first free practice session, Fernando Alonso was much more visible during this second session. Behind the wheel of his Aston Martin, the local hero clocked a time only half a tenth slower than Max Verstappen’s reference time. This improvement in form could partly be explained by the new front wing on car number 14. However, Lance Stroll finished this session in a meager 18th position, only ahead of the two Williams drivers. There was almost a full second gap separating the Canadian from the Spaniard.

Mercedes still struggling

These free practice sessions in Spain are very important for the brand with the star, which is testing its, almost, new W14. In the middle of the pack in FP1, the silver arrows, painted black this season, always had a gloomy look during FP2. Right from the start of the session, George Russell had a little scare, going off track in the gravel at turn number 10. Fortunately, a slow-motion replay showed that this little mishap was caused to avoid Oscar Piastri’s McLaren and not because of a delicate car in that part of the circuit. The section of the track causing the most trouble for Mercedes was the last two corners, which caused too much bouncing on the car. A flaw that both drivers complained about on the radio.

Mercedes was not the only team to stumble with these upgrades. Indeed, not only does Ferrari not seem to have closed the gap with Red Bull this weekend, but the red cars are like being held back by the Barcelona asphalt, causing them to bounce significantly. In terms of race pace, Leclerc’s prancing horse is approximately half a second slower than Verstappen’s flying bull.

A particularly tight grid

With a risk of rain on Sunday, many drivers quickly opted for soft tires in the session. Drivers like Verstappen or Hülkenberg then pushed Charles Leclerc and his medium tires down from the top of the time sheet. With all the drivers using the same tires, a tightly packed group emerged. With 15 minutes left in the session, only one and a half seconds separated Max Verstappen in first position and Logan Sargeant at the opposite end of the standings.

This tight pack and the risk of rain on Saturday and Sunday would surely allow for some individual performances. Could Nico Hülkenberg, with the third best time in FP2, be one of those drivers? The man with 1000 comebacks hopes to erase a difficult weekend in Monaco with a strong performance in Catalonia. With the modifications made this weekend, the VF19 seems much more comfortable than on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Verstappen still at the top

Despite the close presence of competition, Max Verstappen appears unmovable from the first position. Setting a time of 1’13’907, the Dutch driver effortlessly pushed his car. He was relaxed enough behind the wheel to hear a phone ringing in the garage. While Sergio Perez managed to reduce the time gap between him and his teammate between FP1 and FP2, now there are two cars separating the two Red Bull drivers.

FP2 Table