Formula 1 Today: Hamilton Leads FP2 at Italian Grand Prix with Record-Breaking Lap
Formula 1 news update: Lewis Hamilton took the top spot in the second free practice session (FP2) at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, edging out Lando Norris by a mere 0.003 seconds. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s struggles continued, as a Parabolica slip and mid-session stoppage left Red Bull outside the top 10.
In the early stages of the session, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz delighted the home crowd by setting a benchmark time of 1m21.264s on medium tyres, only to be surpassed by teammate Charles Leclerc’s 1m21.119s. However, it was McLaren’s drivers who made the first move to the qualifying simulation runs, with Oscar Piastri initially taking the top spot with a 1m20.858s lap.
Norris responded with a 1m20.851s lap, but Hamilton soon took the lead with a record-breaking 1m20.738s. The seven-time world champion’s lap was just 0.003s ahead of Norris, with both drivers making adjustments to their front wings between their two flying laps on the soft tyres.
Verstappen’s first soft tyres effort was aborted due to an oversteer snap at Parabolica, and his subsequent attempt was thwarted by Kevin Magnussen’s crash at Lesmo two, which brought out the red flags for 12 minutes. The incident left Magnussen’s Haas buried in the barriers, and despite escaping unharmed, the session was significantly disrupted.
After the restart, Red Bull gave Sergio Perez another chance to try the softs, but he remained 14th, behind Verstappen’s best effort on the mediums from the early stages. The Mexican driver had missed much of the first half of the session due to repairs on his RB20.
The top 10 behind Hamilton and Norris remained unchanged, with Sainz, Piastri, Leclerc, Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, and Valtteri Bottas all retaining their positions. George Russell, who joined the session 25 minutes late due to repairs on his car, initially struggled but jumped to sixth with a late soft tyres run.
Formula 1 schedule update: The Italian Grand Prix is set to continue with FP3 and qualifying tomorrow. Stay tuned for the latest Formula 1 news, Formula 1 standings, and Formula 1 schedule updates.
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