Formula 1 Brazil GP: Alonso pips Verstappen- Alpine’s Fernando Alonso went past leader Max Verstappen to be the quickest in second and final practice for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He also went past Red Bull’s title rival Lewis Hamilton who ended fifth as he focused on long-run data gathering at Interlagos. Follow Formula 1 LIVE updates on InsideSport and LIVE streaming on Star Sports, Hotstar
Formula 1 Brazil GP: Fernando Alonso pips Max Verstappen in Free Practice 2
The talk of the paddock on Saturday morning was the on-going investigation of Hamilton’s DRS overtaking aid and Verstappen’s summons to the stewards for an alleged breach of the International Sporting Code.
Decisions on both were outstanding when second practice got under way, with Hamilton running a different rear wing, as the one he used to set the fastest time on Friday remained impounded by the FIA
The seven-time world champion – who has a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix regardless following an engine change – didn’t head out on track until 20 minutes into the session, with team mate Valtteri Bottas following suit.
The Mercedes duo focused on running used soft tyres, allowing them to keep fresh sets of both the medium and hard for later in the weekend.
There were multiple approaches in play in second practice, with some teams running the car with lower fuel early on – such as Alonso – and others focusing on race simulations as they assessed with compound was best for the Sprint and then Sunday’s Grand Prix.
FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2021
Practice 2 results
| POSITION | TIME |
|---|---|
| 1 Fernando ALONSO Alpine | 1:11.238 |
| 2 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing | +0.864s |
| 3 Valtteri BOTTAS Mercedes | +1.117s |
| 4 Esteban OCON Alpine | +1.169s |
| 5 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes | +1.503s |
Alonso was 0.864s ahead of Verstappen, with Bottas using a second set of used softs to go third quickest later on in the warmest conditions teams have experienced so far in the Sao Paulo race weekend.
Esteban Ocon was fourth, ahead of Hamilton – who like Bottas ran just two sets of used tyres in this session – and the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez in sixth.
Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi was seventh, pipping the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc with Kimi Raikkonen completing the top 10.
Lance Stroll was 11th and Daniel Ricciardo 12th, a fraction ahead of McLaren team mate Lando Norris, who was celebrating his 22nd birthday on Saturday with not one but two birthday cakes.
Pierre Gasly – one of the stars of Friday’s running – was 12th having described his car on team radio midway through the session as “undrivable” as he completed a 21-lap run on the softs ahead of the 24-lap Sprint.
The leading Williams of George Russell was 15th while Yuki Tsunoda lapped around a tenth of a second slower than AlphaTauri team mate in 16th, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Nicholas Latifi, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.
Formula 1 Brazil GP: Lewis Hamilton pips rival Max Verstappen in first practice but loses five grid points- Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in first practice for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver already set for a more challenging race day regardless courtesy of a five-place grid drop for an engine component change.
Formula 1 Brazil GP: The seven-time world champion, who is 19 points adrift of title rival Max Verstappen with four races to go, clocked a 1:09.050s on his third flying lap on the soft tyres in the final few minutes of the session at Interlagos.
It came after the FIA revealed just minutes after the green light flickered on in the pit lane that Hamilton had fitted a fresh internal combustion engine, to trigger a grid drop for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Formula 1 Brazil GP: Lewis Hamilton pips rival Max Verstappen in first practice but loses five grid points
Formula 1 Brazil GP: Mercedes and Red Bull took differing approaches to the weekend’s only pre-qualifying practice session – as it’s an F1 Sprint weekend. Mercedes duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas opted to do multiple runs on the same set of soft tyres – with cool down laps in between – later in the one-hour session. Red Bull did their runs much earlier in the session, and limited their tours on the red-rimmed tyre.
Verstappen – who was fastest of all in the middle sector by around three tenths – ended up second quickest, 0.367s off the pace, with his Red Bull team mate a tenth further back in third. Bottas was fourth, albeit half a second off the leading time.
Formula 1 Brazil GP: While there was drizzle early in the session, it was never close to wet enough for intermediates, meaning drivers could focus on learning about the soft, medium and hard tyres ahead of qualifying later on Friday.
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly – who had a little squabble with Fernando Alonso as they jostled for position on the approach to the start-finish – was an impressive fifth fastest, ahead of the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.
Formula 1 Brazil GP: Lewis Hamilton pips rival Max Verstappen in first practice but loses five grid points
Esteban Ocon was the leading Alpine in eighth, half a tenth ahead of team mate Alonso with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completed the top 10, 1.302s off the pace.
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