2024 Spanish GP FP2: Hamilton Sets The Pace

Lewis Hamilton led second practice at the Spanish GP, clocking the fastest time for Mercedes, while Max Verstappen managed only fifth.

Ben

By Ben Bush
Updated on October 10, 2024

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes FP2 2024 Spanish Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes in FP2 at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton finished top of the leaderboard on the first day of the Spanish Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in the second free practice session, closely followed by Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris.

Earlier in the day, Norris had led the first practice, but uncertainties about the overall rankings persisted into FP2, as teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Alpine had not yet utilised soft tyres.

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The session began actively, with most drivers opting for medium or hard tyres. Logan Sargeant had a close call but managed to control his Williams, which matched teammate Alex Albon’s car spec.

Max Verstappen experienced understeer in his RB20, describing the car as lacking responsiveness. Meanwhile, George Russell initially led after clocking a time of 1m 14.089s on medium tyres.

As the session progressed and drivers switched to soft tyres, Sainz briefly claimed the fastest time before Hamilton surpassed him by just 0.02 seconds with a lap of 1m 13.264s, a lead he maintained into the race simulations.

Sainz secured second place, with Norris rounding out the top three. Pierre Gasly impressed in fourth for Alpine, ahead of Verstappen in fifth.

Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri followed in sixth and seventh, with Russell in eighth, demonstrating a mix among the top four teams within the first eight positions. Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas completed the top ten for Alpine and Kick Sauber, respectively.

Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg ranked 11th and 12th for Haas, with Sergio Perez in 13th after a delayed switch to soft tyres. Fernando Alonso took 14th place, 11 years since his last F1 win at this circuit.

Red Bull teammates Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were 15th and 16th, followed by Zhou Guanyu in 17th for Kick Sauber, who reverted to an older chassis. Lance Stroll and the Williams duo of Albon and Sargeant finished in the last positions.

Spanish GP FP2 Results

2024 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 21 June 2024

PosNoDriverCarTimeGapLaps
144Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:13.26428
255Carlos SainzFerrari1:13.286+0.022s30
34Lando NorrisMcLaren Mercedes1:13.319+0.055s31
410Pierre GaslyAlpine Renault1:13.443+0.179s27
51Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:13.504+0.240s29
616Charles LeclercFerrari1:13.597+0.333s22
781Oscar PiastriMcLaren Mercedes1:13.622+0.358s28
863George RussellMercedes1:13.722+0.458s28
931Esteban OconAlpine Renault1:13.766+0.502s30
1077Valtteri BottasKick Sauber Ferrari1:13.924+0.660s30
1120Kevin MagnussenHaas Ferrari1:14.021+0.757s32
1227Nico HulkenbergHaas Ferrari1:14.053+0.789s29
1311Sergio PerezRed Bull Racing Honda RBPT1:14.081+0.817s23
1414Fernando AlonsoAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:14.091+0.827s28
1522Yuki TsunodaRB Honda RBPT1:14.211+0.947s31
163Daniel RicciardoRB Honda RBPT1:14.257+0.993s29
1724Zhou GuanyuKick Sauber Ferrari1:14.345+1.081s21
1818Lance StrollAston Martin Aramco Mercedes1:14.402+1.138s28
1923Alexander AlbonWilliams Mercedes1:14.807+1.543s34
202Logan SargeantWilliams Mercedes1:15.070+1.806s33

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About The Author

Staff Writer

Ben Bush
Ben

Ben is a staff writer specialising in F1 from the 1990s to the modern era. Ben has been following Formula 1 since 1986 and is an avid researcher who loves understanding the technology that makes it one of the most exciting motorsport on the planet. He listens to podcasts about F1 on a daily basis, and enjoys reading books from the inspirational Adrian Newey to former F1 drivers.

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