Austin FP2: Max second behind Hamilton
Published on 20 October 2017 by Stefan Meens
After a fourth place in FP1, Max Verstappen was second quickest in the second practice session of the US Grand Prix. Similar to the earlier session, Lewis Hamilton was quickest in his Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, completed the top three. Max’s Red Bull Racing team mate, Daniel Ricciardo, was fifth.
“The car was good today", said Max. "It's difficult to predict the race, also because we'll get a grid penalty. But we were able to do our programme. My long run was really good, despite the fact we can still improve the balance of the car. Our lap times looked good. My short run was not that great, but was still good enough for second, so it's looking good."
Fernando Alonso is the first driver out on track. The Spaniard, who has extended his contract with McLaren, was plagued by hydraulic issues in FP1, resulting in only four laps. Daniil Kvyat, back after losing his seat to Pierre Gasly, but now taking the place of Carlos Sainz (now Renault) is the first driver to clock a time.
Meanwhile, both Haas taking the honor for first spins of the session with Romain Grosjean losing control of his car, shortly followed by Kevin Magnussen. Both drivers are able to continue without any damage.
Ten minutes into the session sees Max head out for the first time. The youngster clearly enjoys the Circuit Of The Americas; despite having bolted on the hard Pirelli compound, he goes quickest.
Throughout the session, both Red Bulls are able to mix it with title contenders Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, confirming the fine form the Bulls are in. On a set of ultra-softs, Max improves his time by completing the Austin based track in 1:35.065. It propels him to second.
With half an hour to go, Max ventures on track with a used set of the ultra-soft Pirellis for a long run. In the end, he does not improve on his lap time, meaning he must settle for second, behind Lewis Hamilton.
US Grand Prix - Circuit Of The Americas - Friday 20 October
FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS 01 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.668 26 02 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer 1:35.065 +0.397s 30 03 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:35.192 +0.524s 11 04 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:35.279 +0.611s 39 05 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer 1:35.463 +0.795s 24 06 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1:35.514 +0.846s 29 07 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda 1:36.304 +1.636s 28 08 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes 1:36.460 +1.792s 30 09 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1:36.481 +1.813s 28 10 31 Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1:36.490 +1.822s 34 11 55 Carlos Sainz Renault 1:36.529 +1.861s 30 12 27 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:36.534 +1.866s 18 13 26 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:36.761 +2.093s 40 14 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas Ferrari 1:37.285 +2.617s 17 15 2 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Honda 1:37.463 +2.795s 31 16 18 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1:37.788 +3.120s 27 17 39 Brendon Hartley Toro Rosso 1:37.987 +3.319s 41 18 94 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber Ferrari 1:38.165 +3.497s 35 19 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 1:38.262 +3.594s 22 20 8 Romain Grosjean Haas Ferrari 1:38.387 +3.719s 26
