Formula 1

Hamilton Fastest, as Raikkonen Impresses in Chinese Grand Prix FP2

2 Mins read

Lewis Hamilton was fastest with a 1:37.219, but quick times from Kimi Raikkonen, suggests the Finn is his nearest competitor this weekend.

Sebastian Vettel continued with his cars antics as he spun on the exit of turn 3. He ran through the gravel before landing in the same direction. However; he continued on his run, not pitting for new tyres, this did mean he was slower than Raikkonen at the start of the session.

Many drivers set competitive times at the start of the session, so after 15 minutes, Nico Rosberg had already matched the fastest pace of Hamilton in FP1. A runner was spotted on the track only a few minutes later, as an unidentified man was seen crossing the main straight and going into the pit lane.

With an hour down, all but Red Bull had gone out to set times, with most of them back in the pits soon after. Hamilton was fastest, from Rosberg, Raikkonen, Valterri Bottas and Vettel. Good news for the rest of the teams was that the gap had close to the front.

Raikkonen surprised the field by turning up the engine to set a 1:37.662 after being the first man on the soft tyres. Vettel then changed to the quicker tyre, but failed to beat his teammate, as the rest of the field followed them on soft tyres.

With 50 minutes to go, a red flag was brought out, after Felipe Massa lost control of the car at the end of the long straight, locking tyres and sliding sideways off the track, coming to a stop and leaping out.

The teams continued to improve as the session restarted, however they soon moved into long run pace. With half an hour to go, Will Stevens running was cut short after a mechanical issue kept his running to 6 laps, however; managed to get a few laps at the end of the session.

Daniil Kvyat had pitted for a front wing, after coming out, the brakes caught on fire, ultimately meaning he was forced to crawl the car back to the pits. However; brake failure meant he slid off into the barrier at the end of the long straight, breaking his new front wing after hitting the wall.

As the session drew to a close, Raikkonen diced for position with Rosberg, a move which frustrated the German. Raikkonen himself was competitive as the long run pace was as quick as the Mercedes cars, suggesting a good qualifying could help him challenge for a win.

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Credit: Nick Smith / TheImageTeam.com
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Single-Seater Specialist who worked for TCF from 2015-19. Come finding me wandering the paddock.
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