EL2 at Spielberg: Leclerc dominates a very lively session

And suddenly the twists and turns kept coming. It was first Max Verstappen, spun at turn 10. The driver Red Bull ended his race in the safety barriers and damaged the wing and the rear suspension of his RB15, leading to a first red flag.

All, under the noses of a sea of ​​fans Orange, who quickly went to quench their thirst in the numerous refreshments at the Red Bull Ring. Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull, has already clarified that his driver was surprised by a gust of wind and was not at risk of taking a penalty due to a possible gearbox change.

Barely had the session been restarted when Valtteri Bottas crashed into the front tire wall after losing control of his W10 at turn 6. The Finn was sent to the medical center as a precaution while the red flag was waved again.

Once the track was open again, it was the turn of Sebastian Vettel to slide at turn 10. Unlike his little comrades, the German from Ferrari managed not to hit the barriers.

No sooner had we started…

…and Vettel becomes Turn 10’s latest victim #AustrianGP  #F1 pic.twitter.com/MCsgWrUSVq

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2019

Author of a clear afternoon, his teammate Charles Leclerc finished with the best time in EL2. However, this is not the Friday reference since Hamilton went faster this morning during a calmer session. The Monegasque precedes the unfortunate Bottas by 0”331. Pierre Gasly, who experienced an excursion into the grass without consequence, won the 3rd fastest time, ahead of Hamilton.

Carlos Sainz, who went through the gravel and will have to start from the back of the grid due to a change of engine elements, still confirms the good dispositions of McLaren finishing 5th. The Spaniard takes in his wake Romain Grosjean (Haas) and Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo).

After his swerve, Sebastian Vettel finished in 8th time, while Verstappen had to settle for 9th time following his crash. Lando Norris (McLaren) completes the Top 10. Discreet session for Renault : Nico Hulkenberg et Daniel Ricciardo only emerge in 16th and 17th ranks.

However, it is difficult to carry out a very clear analysis of these FP2s since the various interruptions occurred mid-session, at a time when most competitors generally sign their best mark before turning their attention to the long stints without any time improvement.