In the second free practice at Zandvoort Leclerc and Sainz precede Ocon, Bottas and the Dutch idol. The Mercedes world champion stops after 6 minutes and turns off the engine as a precaution
The exultation of the orange tide after 6 minutes of the second free practice session of the Dutch GP did not leave room for many interpretations: it was Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes number 44 that stopped on the track forcing the Englishman to return to the pits on foot. The incredible public of Zandvoort, who had already flocked to free practice on Friday, feels the world champion challenge very strongly between the world champion and their idol, that Max Verstappen who finished fifth at the end of the session that ended at I lead the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (1’10 ”902) and Carlos Sainz (1’11” 056) ahead of Esteban Ocon’s Alpine and Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes.
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Enthusiastic audience
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F1 rediscovers Zandvoort, on the renewed version that last year could not be seen due to Covid. This year the 13th round of the championship takes place, with Verstappen fighting for the title and with an enthusiastic audience that wants to push him to the assault of the first place. Meanwhile, today was not a good day for Hamilton, who shut down the power unit as a precaution, signaling a drop in power. In the first session it was Lewis who took the lead with a 97 thousandth advantage over the Dutch rival of Red Bull. Not good, however, to have actually lost the whole session, as well as fearing for the fate of his engine.
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Giovinazzi fight
In the afternoon the Ferraris and the Alpines did well, as mentioned, as well as a Verstappen who worked mainly according to the race pace, showing excellent pace on the pace. Well Antonio Giovinazzi with Alfa Romeo: the Apulian finished ninth overall in the afternoon.
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Long times and traffic
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However, the day showed that on the narrow Dutch track, driver errors or technical problems with the single-seaters could severely slow down the course of the event. In the first session it took a long time to remove Vettel’s Aston Martin parked outside the pit lane. In the second session, Mazepin’s parking hike into the gravel at turn 11 blocked the session for a few minutes, although this time the operations were much faster. Another theme will be the traffic factor, especially important in qualifying tomorrow: on a track where the lap time is 1’10 ”, the attention of the drivers to those who arrive fast will be crucial, a bit like what happens at Zeltweg.
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The times of free practice 2
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So the times of free 2:
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1. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1’10 ”902
2. Sainz (Ferrari) 1’11 ”056
3. Ocon (Alpine) 1’11”074
4. Bottas (Mercedes) 1’11 ”132
5. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1’11”264
6. Alonso (Alpine) 1’11 ”280
7. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1’11”462
8. Norris (McLaren) 1’11”488
9. Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1’11 ”678
10. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1’11”713
11. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1’11”911
12. Perez (Red Bull) 1’11 ”946
13. Tsunoda (AlpahTauri) 1’12 ”096
14. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1’12”136
15. Ricciardo (McLaren) 1’12 ”157
16. Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1’12 ”206
17. Schumacher (Haas) 1’12 ”607
18. Latifi (Williams) 1’12”610
19. Mazepin (Haas) 1’12 ”835
20. Russell (Williams) 1’12”855
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The times of free practice 1
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The times of the FP1 of the Dutch GP:
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1. Hamilton (Mercedes) 1’11”500
2. Verstappen (Red Bull) 1’11”597
3. Sainz (Ferrari) 1’11 ”601
4. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1’11 ”623
5. Bottas (Mercedes) 1’11 ”738
6. Alonso (Alpine) 1’12 ”158
7. Ocon (Alpine) 1’12”231
8. Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1’12 ”359
9. Stroll (Aston Martin) 1’12”431
10. Gasly (AlphaTauri) 1’12”515
11. Norris (McLaren) 1’12”679
12. Latifi (Williams) 1’12”907
13. Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1’13 ”053
14. Ricciardo (McLaren) 1’13 ”081
15. Russell (Williams) 1’13”181
16. Perez (Red Bull) 1’13 ”328
17. Mazepin (Haas) 1’13 ”516
18. Schumacher (Haas) 1’13 ”847
19. Vettel (Aston Martin) 1’15”984
20. Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) s.t.
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September 3, 2021 (change September 3, 2021 | 17:44)
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