Verstappen leads Leclerc as Turkey grip woes continue

Max Verstappen topped the second Turkish Grand Prix practice for Red Bull again, as the Formula 1 field still struggled to adapt to the slippery conditions at the Istanbul circuit.

Times in the afternoon session were, on the whole, faster and more representative than on Friday morning, with Verstappen setting a lap of 1m28.330s to go to the top of the timesheets.

But cool temperatures and a slippery surface on the circuit’s recently-laid new asphalt remained the major talking point of the session.

Charles Leclerc was second fastest, marginally ahead of Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes, as Ferrari again showed better form than usual in the tricky conditions.

Bottas’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton made a major improvement on his morning running – where he was as low as 15th – to finish Friday running in fourth place.

Verstappen’s under-pressure Red Bull team-mate Alex Albon had been fastest for much of the earlier portion of the session, but ultimately completed the day in fifth.

AlphaTauri drivers Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly were sixth and seventh respectively, leading the second Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll.

Lando Norris completed the top 10 as the best-placed McLaren, with Carlos Sainz Jr in 14th.

After the 15s spread covering the field in the morning, the 20 drivers were covered by a still bigger-than-usual 5s in the afternoon.

And even the fastest times remained 3s off the pole pace from F1’s last visit in 2011.

Practice 2 Results