2021 F1 Round 3 – Portuguese Grand Prix FP2: Hamilton fastest, Verstappen second despite brake trouble

At 10 p.m. China Standard Time (UTC+8) on 30 April, second practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix, the third round of the 2021 F1 season, took place at the Algarve International Circuit. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) topped the timesheets with a 1:19.837.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was second, 0.143 seconds behind; Valtteri Bottas, in the other Mercedes W12, was a further 0.201 seconds back in third, unable to get the better of Verstappen.

Just five minutes into the session, Verstappen reported a brake-by-wire (BBW) fault over the radio, forcing him into an unscheduled pit stop lasting nearly 10 minutes. Team principal Christian Horner later explained that it was a sensor issue.

Among the other Honda-powered drivers, Sergio Pérez was held up by Nikita Mazepin (Haas) and finished 10th, 0.536 seconds behind his team-mate. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly was 11th, while Yuki Tsunoda was 14th, 0.495 seconds behind Gasly.

As in the morning, the afternoon at the Algarve was sunny. The start of the session was delayed by 10 minutes because the circuit’s drain covers needed to be checked. This practice session, held in the same time slot as qualifying and the race, began in dry conditions with an air temperature of 19.4°C and a track temperature of 39°C.

All the drivers headed out on medium tyres, with the sole exception of Mazepin, who chose hards. Hamilton, who set the fastest lap, expressed dissatisfaction with the long-run performance of the soft tyres. The track surface remained slippery and unpredictable, and the drivers continued to struggle to get their tyres up to temperature.

Carlos Sainz was next behind the top three. Charles Leclerc had occupied the same position in the morning, highlighting Ferrari’s excellent start.

Interestingly, the two Alpines, which had attracted plenty of attention but shown only modest pace, followed right behind the Ferrari: Fernando Alonso was 0.015 seconds ahead of team-mate Esteban Ocon, with the pair fifth and sixth respectively.

As in the morning, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel was a long way behind his team-mate: he finished 15th, 0.647 seconds adrift of ninth-placed Lance Stroll. Vettel explained, however, that he was driving a car of a different specification from his team-mate’s, so the gap was in line with expectations.

The gap between the Williams team-mates was similarly large: George Russell was 13th, immediately behind Lando Norris (McLaren), while Nicholas Latifi, who had run into the gravel at Turn 8, was 0.879 seconds behind his team-mate in only 19th, even trailing Mick Schumacher (Haas).

Schumacher reported an engine problem towards the end but still completed 29 laps. Team-mate Mazepin was 1.101 seconds slower, finishing last in 20th.

Antonio Giovinazzi, who had taken back the wheel of the Alfa Romeo C41 from Ilott, worked hard to make up for lost time, completing 32 laps. He was 17th, 0.013 seconds behind team-mate Kimi Räikkönen (16th).

Third practice took place at the same circuit on the evening of 1 May, China Standard Time (UTC+8).