Mercedes continued their domination in free practice two this afternoon. Lewis Hamilton topped the times, less than a tenth of a second ahead of Valtteri Bottas but three tenths of a second quicker than either Ferrari.
The update Mercedes brought to Barcelona appears to have given the team an advantage over championship rival Ferrari. As well as the slower fastest laps, the Italian team lagged behind Mercedes in the race simulations.
Red Bull, meanwhile, caught up with Ferrari. Leading Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen, was only two tenths of a second slower than Vettel in the qualifying simulation.
Ferrari seemed to have another problem when Kimi Raikkonen was called back to the pit lane with a suspected engine problem, but he was sent straight back out.
With half an hour left on the clock, the session was red flagged to clear debris from Carlos Sainz’s car. A small part of the Spaniard’s front wing ended up on the racing line after Sainz ran over the rumble strips.
Team mate Daniil Kvyat was also unhappy with the front of his car. The Russian said early in the session that something felt wrong with the front of his Toro Rosso, and he spent a long time in the pits. Kvyat finished the session 18th.
McLaren’s session was slightly better than FP1. After an engine failure in the morning, Fernando Alonso was able to complete laps in FP2. It wasn’t all good news, as the Spaniard was the slowest man on track, and commented that “the engine feels good but it’s slower than before. Amazing!”
Lap times in Barcelona haven’t quite been as fast as expected. Pirelli has been criticised for bringing the hard compound tyre to the track, which drivers believe is too tough for the track.
