Alonso leads rain-affected FP2 at Australian GP with limited running

Alonso leads rain-affected FP2 at Australian GP with limited running. Mixed tyre compounds used, with Perez briefly fastest.

Due to limited running beyond the first 20 minutes caused by rain, Fernando Alonso led the second practice session of the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Initially, there was a rush of laps, and Alonso was the fastest. However, Perez was faster on softs before getting caught in traffic. The second half of the session required intermediate tyres. Additionally, Sargeant did not participate due to an electrical issue encountered during FP1.

With the possibility of rain at the Albert Park circuit, the majority of the field took to the track at the start of FP2, using different tyre compounds.

With two podium finishes under his belt in the opening races of the 2023 F1 season and a strong performance in Melbourne last year, Fernando Alonso wasted no time setting the pace in the second practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, clocking a quick time of 1m18.887s just as rain began to fall.

Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, set his best lap time of 1m18.887s on medium-compound tyres, which put him 0.445 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc from Ferrari. Max Verstappen, who had topped the timesheets in FP1 and was the current championship leader, finished third. However, Verstappen’s session was not entirely clean as he went off track on his first run, skipping across the grass.

George Russell, driving for Mercedes, set his best lap time on hard tyres, making it four different cars in the top four. Carlos Sainz from Ferrari finished in fifth place, followed by Esteban Ocon from Alpine. Sergio Perez finished in seventh place, but he had been four tenths faster than Alonso’s best time before encountering traffic. Unfortunately, the rain started to close in, preventing any significant improvements beyond the 15-minute mark. This resulted in a lull in on-track activity for almost 10 minutes, and when cars did return to the track, it was only for exploratory laps. Russell headed out on intermediates, and Sainz on softs.

The decision to go out on soft tyres proved to be better for Ferrari, but the window of opportunity was brief as the rain quickly intensified. With 20 minutes to go, more cars ventured out on the intermediate compound as the track conditions were more suitable. However, the laps were still limited due to the slippery conditions, and there were two off-track moments for Fernando Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll, at Turn 3, a right-hander. Earlier in the session, Stroll had also brushed the barrier at Turn 8 on the approach to the fast Turn 9/10 chicane.

Sergio Perez was followed by Lando Norris, who finished in eighth place in his McLaren. Norris was only two tenths faster than his teammate Oscar Piastri, who was the most committed among those who ran on intermediates in the final part of the session. Nico Hulkenberg, who was driving for Haas, set the ninth-fastest time on hard tyres, showcasing his impressive single-lap performance. Pierre Gasly finished in the top 10.

Yuki Tsunoda and Valtteri Bottas finished in 11th and 12th place, respectively, followed by Lewis Hamilton in 13th place. Hamilton had finished second in FP1. Logan Sargeant from Williams did not complete any running in FP2, as the team continued to investigate the electrical issue that caused him to stop on track during FP1, leading to a red flag and an early end to the session.

Results for the second practice session of the Australian Grand Prix weekend:

rain-affected FP2 Australian GP F1 2023 rain-affected FP2 Australian GP F1 2023 rain-affected FP2 Australian GP F1 2023

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