Only the foreseeable rain can shuffle the grid of the Russian GP, whether qualifying is disputed on Saturday or Sunday itself, given the times and rhythms of the second free practice.
Valtteri Bottas was the fastest, again, though by less than half a tenth on a Lewis hamilton that in the middle of the session he received news that will have relieved him: his greatest rival, Max verstappen, will release a new power unit and will penalize until it is placed at the end of the grid next to Charles Leclerc.
Unlike what was seen in the morning, it was a session with a couple of serious scares. The first was starred by Leclerc himself, who almost hit the wall at turn 9, something he could not avoid Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian crashed his Alfa Romeo violently from the rear, causing a red flag that interrupted the session.
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The incident abruptly halted the progression of several pilots, among whom were Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, which at the time of the accident were already 7th and 8th. The Spaniards left better sensations than in the first free practice sessions, although they stayed slightly far from the head as expected.
The (relative) surprise was the third time Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman, again, left a portrait of a Yuki tsunoda who knows what it’s like to win here in F2: the Japanese could only beat the Haas. That did not leave him without incident: the session ended with the front wing of Gasly’s AlphaTauri on the ground after he got on one of the pianos.
Free times table 2 Russian Grand Prix
The free third parties, pending the more than probable rain, are scheduled from 11:00 this Saturday.