Austrian GP 2020

JULY 3, 2020

Practice 2 Report - Getting back in

Lewis Hamilton, Austrian GP 2020
© Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

By Dan Knutson

“I wouldn’t say I’ve been itching but I’m definitely excited to get back in,” Lewis Hamilton said when he arrived at the Red Bull Ring for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. “It’s definitely been a difficult time to not be doing what we love doing more often, but it’s been a period of time for a lot of reflection on other things that have been super important. So it’s been really positive to apply myself to those things.

The long layoff certainly has not affected Hamilton’s speed as he topped both of Friday’s practice sessions in his Mercedes.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc; Red Bull Honda – Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon; AlphaTauri Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Nicolas Latifi.

Hamilton was quickest in FP1 with a time of 1:04.816 around the 2.683-mile (4.318 km) track.

Grosjean, who managed only six laps in FP1 because of brake problems, was first out in FP2.

The ambient temperature at the start of the 90-minute session was 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Centigrade).

Stroll and Perez set the fastest laps early in the session with Stroll clocking a 1:05.469 and Perez 0.178 of a second slower.

Kvyat and Latifi had spins, and then Latifi spun again. Twenty minutes into the session Verstappen edged into the lead with his 1:05.379. Then Hamilton edged ahead by 0.284 of a second.

Ricciardo had been stuck in the garage but finally got on track 30 minutes into the session.

Next, Bottas headed out with the soft Pirelli slicks on his car and turned a 1:05.501. Vettel’s run on the soft tire was half a second slower. Perez used the softs to slot into second place ahead of Vettel.

Raikkonen slid off into the gravel at Turn 5 and then made his way back onto the track.

As the midpoint of FP2 approached, the order was: Bottas, Perez, Vettel, Hamilton, Stroll, Verstappen, Leclerc and Kvyat.

Hamilton had yet to make a run on the softs, but now he did and his time of 1:04.304.

With the qualifying simulations over, the drivers and teams started to do long runs with worn tires and heavy fuel loads.

Verstappen, Grosjean and Albon had spins but avoided the barriers.

The top 10 at the end of FP2 were: Hamilton, Bottas, Perez, Vettel, Ricciardo, Norris, Stroll, Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve been itching but I’m definitely excited to get back in,” Lewis Hamilton said when he arrived at the Red Bull Ring for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. “It’s definitely been a difficult time to not be doing what we love doing more often, but it’s been a period of time for a lot of reflection on other things that have been super important. So it’s been really positive to apply myself to those things.

The long layoff certainly has not affected Hamilton’s speed as he topped both of Friday’s practice sessions in his Mercedes.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc; Red Bull Honda – Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon; AlphaTauri Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Nicolas Latifi.

Hamilton was quickest in FP1 with a time of 1:04.816 around the 2.683-mile (4.318 km) track.

Grosjean, who managed only six laps in FP1 because of brake problems, was first out in FP2.

The ambient temperature at the start of the 90-minute session was 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Centigrade).

Stroll and Perez set the fastest laps early in the session with Stroll clocking a 1:05.469 and Perez 0.178 of a second slower.

Kvyat and Latifi had spins, and then Latifi spun again. Twenty minutes into the session Verstappen edged into the lead with his 1:05.379. Then Hamilton edged ahead by 0.284 of a second.

Ricciardo had been stuck in the garage but finally got on track 30 minutes into the session.

Next, Bottas headed out with the soft Pirelli slicks on his car and turned a 1:05.501. Vettel’s run on the soft tire was half a second slower. Perez used the softs to slot into second place ahead of Vettel.

Raikkonen slid off into the gravel at Turn 5 and then made his way back onto the track.

As the midpoint of FP2 approached, the order was: Bottas, Perez, Vettel, Hamilton, Stroll, Verstappen, Leclerc and Kvyat.

Hamilton had yet to make a run on the softs, but now he did and his time of 1:04.304.

With the qualifying simulations over, the drivers and teams started to do long runs with worn tires and heavy fuel loads.

Verstappen, Grosjean and Albon had spins but avoided the barriers.

The top 10 at the end of FP2 were: Hamilton, Bottas, Perez, Vettel, Ricciardo, Norris, Stroll, Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz.