EL2 – Verstappen leads the way before the Sprint

Last rehearsal. This Saturday noon, the drivers had the opportunity to take to the track one last time before the long-awaited Sprint Race which will determine the starting grid for the British Grand Prix on Sunday.

During this hour of driving, the teams had their soldiers ride with the two types of softest tires, namely soft (red bands) and medium (yellow bands). The aim was in particular to collect as much data as possible for this unique event scheduled in just a few hours.

At Alpine for example, Esteban Ocon started with a first stint on medium tires while his teammate Fernando Alonso did the same but with the tender ones. Engineers must now work to find the best strategy for the 17 laps on the Sprint Race program. In terms of results, the first city ranked 4th, the second 13th.

At the front of the peloton, it is Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who once again distinguished himself by setting the best time in the second practice session. Mute during the first quarter of an hour, the Dutchman took to the track for around twenty laps during which he recorded a mark of 1’29”902.

Quick everywhere! #BritishGP  @Max33Verstappen pic.twitter.com/BEs4mLDT01

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 17, 2021

This time, the driver of the British-Austrian team did not beat the duo of Mercedes but that of Ferrari with Charles Leclerc (+0“375) in front Carlos Sainz (+0“605).

On pole in the qualifying race, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was rather discreet with the 8th time just over 1” behind its main rival in the championship. His teammate Valtteri Bottas finished just behind him.

Absent from Q3 on Friday, Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) was very active this Saturday afternoon on the track. The Norman completed almost thirty laps and notably fitted the three tire ranges. At the end of 60 minutes of testing, he took the last place in the Top 10.

A Top 10 that George Russell (Williams) almost got stuck. The local of the event finally settled for 11th place, half a tenth of a second behind Pierre Gasly.

Now it’s time for the Sprint Race scheduled for 17:30 p.m. Visit AUTOhebdo to follow it in live text!