2024 F1 Round 10, Spanish GP FP2: Hamilton Leads in 1:13.264 as Five Teams Fill the Top Five and Gasly Surprises in Fourth

The second free practice session for the 2024 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, Round 10 of the season, concluded in the early hours of 22 June, Beijing time. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the pace with a 1:13.264, just 0.022 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. McLaren’s Lando Norris was third, with five different teams represented in the top five. RB driver Yuki Tsunoda finished 15th.

From Hamilton to 16th-placed Daniel Ricciardo, 16 drivers were covered by less than a second, while just 0.055 seconds separated the top three. The closely matched times at Barcelona pointed to a fierce Q1 battle in the following day’s qualifying session. Ferrari sent Sainz out for a qualifying-style run on the C3 compound, and he missed the top spot by the narrowest of margins. Charles Leclerc was unhappy with the car’s balance and finished sixth, with the team also changing its front suspension in the garage.

Pierre Gasly was the standout midfield driver. The Frenchman took fourth just 0.179 seconds off the fastest time. Fuel loads and engine modes were unknown, but for a team that had struggled near the back early in the season, the upgraded and lighter Alpine A524 was showing clear signs of improved competitiveness. Team-mate Esteban Ocon also made the top ten in ninth.

Valtteri Bottas provided another bright spot. Sauber’s C44, which had yet to score a point this season, set the tenth-fastest time. Both Haas drivers were close to the top ten too, with Kevin Magnussen 11th and Nico Hülkenberg 12th.

Returning to a conventional circuit did not restore Red Bull’s dominance. Max Verstappen complained of severe understeer in medium-speed corners and was only fifth. Sergio Pérez finished 13th, around eight tenths off the pace, and spent a long time in the garage while work was carried out, an unsettling picture for the team. RB had also arrived with substantial upgrades but failed to deliver the expected improvement: Tsunoda was 15th and Ricciardo 16th, leaving both cars towards the back again.

Norris attacked a kerb too hard late in the session, striking the floor, but escaped without serious consequences. Complaints about tyre degradation were frequent over the radio. Barcelona’s high-load layout is notoriously demanding on tyres, and Pirelli had brought its hardest selection, C1 to C3. A two-stop race was the prevailing expectation. Third practice was scheduled to begin at 18:30 Beijing time on 22 June.