British GP second free practice: Verstappen fastest in less exciting session

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Different tire types

During this training, the teams were not allowed to make any more fundamental changes to the car, only the front wing could be modified. That meant that the teams mainly looked at how the tires hold up on the long runs, in order to determine the strategy for the sprint race. A number of drivers drove on the softs, some on the mediums and Leclerc, Tsunoda and Gasly drove their first laps on the hard tyre.

Also Lewis Hamilton came out later on the hard tire. Mercedes will want to see to what extent they can finish the sprint race on the hard tyre. Bottas, meanwhile, was just heading out on the softs, clearly illustrating that the team was running two different simulations. Verstappen was the last to go out on the mediums, just like his teammate Sergio Perez. He later set the fastest time with 1:31.832 after more than fifteen minutes, four tenths faster than Esteban Ocon.

Filled up

Verstappen quickly passed Perez’s time and improved by nine tenths to reach 1:30.428. However, the times in this session were even less relevant than usual, as the teams mainly looked at how the tires held up. Valtteri Bottas did not come close to Verstappen on the softs and clocked 1:32.262, Hamilton was still stuck at 1:32.547 on the hard tire.

The reason why the times were slower than yesterday is not only hidden in the fact that the drivers mainly simulate the long runs, but there was also more fuel in the tanks of the cars. The drivers can then feel better how the car behaves during the sprint race. As the training progressed, the track also warmed up slightly: the track temperature was 43 degrees halfway through the training.

Bottas was then told over his on-board radio that the ‘tearoff’, the film on the visor of the helmet that the drivers can pull off’, had ended up in his car. So the team had to figure that out during a stop. In the meantime, Perez improved his time slightly and was three tenths behind Verstappen. Hamilton, meanwhile, switched to the soft tire and clocked a time of 1:31.401. Norris, however, soon improved that time on his mediums: 1:31.164. Ricciardo later came close with 1:31,348. Carlos Sainz also set a good time on his softs later with 1:30.507.

Verstappen improved his time by more than five tenths to 1:29.902 on a set of mediums that were 18 laps old. Leclerc clocked 1:30,277 on the mediums, which puts him at more than three tenths of Verstappen. That meant the Ferraris split the two Red Bulls. Norris, meanwhile, was fiddling with the track limits in Turn 5 and Turn 9, causing some of his times to be scrapped.

Learned lessons

The free practice at Silverstone was not very spectacular. For now, it seems that many teams are opting for the medium tire for the sprint race. After all, Verstappen has completed 19 laps on the medium tyre, which means that the yellow rubber should just be able to hold out during the half hour. The soft tire seems an unlikely choice, as the drivers might have to make a pit stop. However, some teams may take that gamble.

Towards the end of the session, Verstappen still had several timed laps on the board. Mercedes was actually nowhere to be seen in the meantime. Hamilton and Bottas came in eighth and ninth with 1:31.131 and 1:31.180. That actually says very little, because the team already showed yesterday that it is fast when it has to be fast. The pace of Ferrari is striking: Leclerc and Sainz held the second and third position. Ocon and Perez then completed the top 5.

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