Formula 1

Pérez tops second free practice ahead of Norris and Hamilton at the United States Grand Prix

2 Mins read
Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Sergio Pérez went fastest in the second free practice session at the 2021 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin. Lando Norris was in second position and Lewis Hamilton in third position at the end of the session.

Hamilton recorded the fastest lap time of the session which was deleted as he exceeded track limits. Max Verstappen finished in eighth position as he aborted his flying lap due to traffic.

The sixty-minute long second free practice session started under hot conditions with air temperatures at 29 degrees C and track temperatures at 34 degrees C.

The track temperatures was almost ten degrees hotter than the morning session as it continued to ramp up during the session. This led to slower lap times in this session.

The Pirelli tyre choice at this race is the white-striped hard compound tyres (C2), yellow-striped medium compound tyres (C3), and red-striped soft compound tyres (C4).

Most of the drivers were out on the track on the medium compound tyres at the start of the session. Hamilton and Verstappen had a brief moment as the Briton overtook Verstappen on a cool down lap.

Valtteri Bottas initially went to the top of the time charts before being displaced by Pérez.

Bottas, George Russell and Sebastian Vettel will take grid penalties in the race as they take on new power unit components.

The drivers started the qualification runs on the soft compound tyres and Hamilton’s fastest lap time of 1m34.842s was deleted and Pérez went to the top of the time charts with a lap of 1m34.946s.

Norris on his flying lap slotted into second position, 0.257 seconds slower than Pérez. Hamilton went third fastest on his second flying lap. But Verstappen’s flying lap was ruined due to traffic and he aborted the lap with angry words with the pit wall.

The session ended with Fernando Alonso spinning off the track and brushing the barriers. The sweltering heat during the session and its effect on tyre degradation and performance will play a significant role in the qualification and race.

2021 United States GP FP2 Results:

PosNoDriverNat.TeamTimeGapLaps
111Sergio PerezMEXRed Bull Racing1:34.94624
24Lando NorrisGBRMcLaren F1 Team1:35.203+0.257s20
344Lewis HamiltonGBRMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team1:35.310+0.364s22
477Valtteri BottasFINMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team1:35.360+0.414s24
53Daniel RicciardoAUSMcLaren F1 Team1:35.457+0.511s21
618Lance StrollCANAston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team1:35.561+0.615s25
716Charles LeclercMONScuderia Ferrari1:35.572+0.626s23
833Max VerstappenNEDRed Bull Racing1:35.824+0.878s23
955Carlos SainzESPScuderia Ferrari1:35.919+0.973s24
1099Antonio GiovinazziITAAlfa Romeo Racing ORLEN1:36.138+1.192s26
1131Esteban OconFRAAlpine F1 Team1:36.158+1.212s23
1210Pierre GaslyFRAScuderia AlphaTauri Honda1:36.242+1.296s25
1314Fernando AlonsoESPAlpine F1 Team1:36.376+1.430s18
147Kimi RäikkönenFINAlfa Romeo Racing ORLEN1:36.558+1.612s25
155Sebastian VettelGERAston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team1:36.718+1.772s30
1622Yuki TsunodaJAPScuderia AlphaTauri Honda1:36.983+2.037s24
1747Mick SchumacherGERUralkali Haas F1 Team1:37.041+2.095s24
186Nicholas LatifiCANWilliams Racing1:37.254+2.308s26
1963George RussellGBRWilliams Racing1:37.490+2.544s21
209Nikita MazepinRAFUralkali Haas F1 Team1:38.026+3.080s23
283 posts

About author
Avid Formula 1 and Motorsport fan for a very long time. Love researching and writing about F1. An Engineer by profession. All-round sports nut
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix - TCF Driver of the Weekend

2 Mins read
TheCheckeredFlag Driver of the Weekend is revealed for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.