No running for Max in washed-out FP2: "Still a good Friday"
Published on 06 October 2017 by Stefan Meens
Rain prevented any competitive running in the second free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix. Only a handful of drivers braved the conditions to do a flying lap. Both Red Bull Racing drivers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, did not set a lap time.
Despite the rain, Max had a good Friday: “Today was positive. I wasn’t able to show my pace in the short runs because of a red flag, but the long runs looked good. We’re trailing Mercedes a little bit, but on Sunday the higher temperatures should be an advantage for us.”
The heavy rainfall means the Suzuka track is not open for the F1 drivers until halfway into FP2. When the pit light eventually goes to green, it is Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) who ventures out on the full-wet Pirelli tyres. A few other drivers follow the Finns lead, but all head straight back to their respective teams.
With half an hour to go, a handful of drivers attempt to set a lap time. In the end, Lewis Hamilton is quickest ahead of the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez.
Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka - Friday 6 October
FREE PRACTICE 2 RESULTS 01 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:48.719 4 02 31 Esteban Ocon Force India Mercedes 1:49.518 +0.799s 3 03 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes 1:51.345 +2.626s 3 04 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes 1:52.146 +3.427s 3 05 18 Lance Stroll Williams Mercedes 1:52.343 +3.624s 4 06 7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1 07 27 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1 08 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1 09 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari 3 10 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1 11 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda 2 12 94 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber Ferrari 2 13 55 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1 14 2 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren Honda 1
