Austrian GP 2015

JUNE 19, 2015

Practice 2 Report - Red Ahead

Sebastian Vettel, Austrian GP 2015
© Active Pictures

 

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari put in the best performance in Free Practice 2. Vettel edged ahead of Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg who ended up second. But Vettel's FP2 ended early with gearbox woes. Lewis Hamilton slid off the track on both his fast lap attempts and wound up fifth behind Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari and Pastor Maldonado's Lotus.

The ambient temperature at the start of the 90-minute session was 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Centigrade.) There was a 30 percent chance of rain.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Red Bull Renault - Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat. Williams Mercedes - Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas. Ferrari - Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. McLaren Honda - Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. Force India Mercedes - Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez. Toro Rosso Renault - Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. Lotus Mercedes - Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. Marussia Ferrari - Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi. Sauber - Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr.

Ericsson and Vettel were the first out, but it was Raikkonen who set the early fast time with a 1:11.259.

4 minutes into the session, Hamilton went ahead with a 1:11.155.

6 minutes into the session, Raikkonen was back in front with a 1:10.298.

7 minutes into the session, everybody but Massa and Bottas was on track as Rosberg moved into second and Hamilton third.

9 minutes into the session, Hamilton took second with a 1:10.361.

14 minutes into the session, Hamilton moved into first after setting a 1:10.137. Raikkonen was third ahead of Rosberg and Vettel.

25 minutes into the session, Vettel took third with a lap of 1:10.298, matching Raikkonen.

29 minutes into the session, Raikkonen, on the super soft tires, took the lead with a 1:09.860.

34 minutes into the session, Ericsson took fifth on the super softs.

38 minutes into the session, Hamilton went off at Turn 1 while using the super softs.

39 minutes into the session, Rosberg used the super softs to clock a 1:09.611.

42 minutes into the session, Hamilton had an off at Turn 9 and at Turn 1 as Vettel grabbed the lead with a 1:09.600.

43 minutes into the session, Sainz took a wide detour into the gravel trap at Turn 5.

Just past the midpoint of FP2 the top 10 were: Vettel, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Verstappen, Nasr and Perez.

With 37 minutes remaining in the session, Raikkonen was the only driver on the track.

With 32 minutes remaining in the session, Sainz and Bottas tried the super softs. Hamilton was also on the super softs, but a worn set.

With 24 minutes remaining in the session, Ferrari radioed to Vettel that he had a gearbox glitch and he should drive slowly back to the pits.

Meanwhile the other drivers continued to do long runs on the super soft and soft tires to simulate race conditions.

With 3 minutes remaining in the session, Maldonado took a deep dive into the gravel traps at Turn 3.

The top 10 at the end of FP2 were: Vettel, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Maldonado, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Verstappen, Nasr and Perez.