Spanish Grand Prix FP2: All you need to know

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas put Mercedes first and second in Friday afternoon Spanish Grand Prix practice, with Max Verstappen only ninth.

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KEY MOMENTS

– Verstappen abandons best lap after running wide at new Turn 10

– Surprise names challenge Mercedes: Leclerc and Alpines within 0.35s of first

– Tsunoda causes car to switch off with rough trip over Turn 9 kerbs

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Mercedes held its 1-2 formation for the majority of the session, across both the medium and soft tyres.

Hamilton gained more than Bottas when they swapped to the softer rubber and claimed the top spot with a 1m18.170s lap that was 0.139s ahead of his team-mate.

That gravel trap is H U G E 🔭😮#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/WG6E2S4iHS

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2021

Verstappen bailed out of his comparable run when he carried too much speed into the new, faster, Turn 10 and swept wide mid-corner.

He had a second minor excursion later on during the long runs, kicking up dust and grass on the exit of Turn 8.

The scenic route 🌼#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/d0Z3GRlSrY

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2021

That left the title contender only ninth fastest, 0.615s off Hamilton, with his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez just behind.

Under one second covered the top 14 in a very close session. Charles Leclerc was just 0.026s off Bottas’s second-placed Mercedes as he put Ferrari third, while the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso looked promising in fourth and fifth.

The AlphaTauris of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda took sixth and seventh ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr in the second Ferrari, despite a scare for Tsunoda when a heavy trip over the kerbs at the fast Turn 9 caused his car to shut off briefly.

Early-season star Lando Norris was a muted 12th, with McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo three places but only 0.103s behind him.

Practice 2 Results