Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel led Free Practice 2 in Monaco ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix and he did so with very little threat from Mercedes as it turns out.
The Silver Arrows were working on nose changes and ran harder compounds after making no dent at the top on Ultra Soft tires leaving many scratching their heads as to what might be the issue.
Some suggested the long wheel-base around the tight streets of Monaco and a weight disadvantage but I tend to think, after leading FP1, that Mercedes may be struggling for pace but only in the sense that they may have been trying out multiple aero trim settings. While usually done in FP1, it is odd, however, to see them swapping aero bits a lot during FP2. I may be wrong here because Mercedes needs to break the 1:12s barrier to have a go at Ferrari. I still think it is in the car, they just need to find the right balance.
Red Bull also ran a T-Wing for the first time this year in FP1 and McLaren’s stand-in for Alonso, Jenson Button managed a respectable 12th.
Results of FP2:
| POS | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1m12.720s | – | 38 |
| 2 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull/Renault | 1m13.207s | 0.487s | 35 |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m13.283s | 0.563s | 46 |
| 4 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m13.331s | 0.611s | 41 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso/Renault | 1m13.400s | 0.680s | 43 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull/Renault | 1m13.486s | 0.766s | 36 |
| 7 | Sergio Perez | Force India/Mercedes | 1m13.799s | 1.079s | 45 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m13.873s | 1.153s | 31 |
| 9 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas/Ferrari | 1m13.890s | 1.170s | 46 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1m13.902s | 1.182s | 39 |
| 11 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren/Honda | 1m13.946s | 1.226s | 42 |
| 12 | Jenson Button | McLaren/Honda | 1m13.981s | 1.261s | 37 |
| 13 | Felipe Massa | Williams/Mercedes | 1m14.003s | 1.283s | 46 |
| 14 | Romain Grosjean | Haas/Ferrari | 1m14.022s | 1.302s | 44 |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Force India/Mercedes | 1m14.093s | 1.373s | 47 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Williams/Mercedes | 1m14.474s | 1.754s | 27 |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1m14.870s | 2.150s | 41 |
| 18 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1m15.616s | 2.896s | 8 |
| 19 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m15.691s | 2.971s | 32 |
| 20 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber/Ferrari | 1m15.695s | 2.975s | 37 |
Wow, Now I wish I’d recorded FP1 & 2. Some unusual results in FP2. Both customer Renault powered teams up the front, and the factory team way down the back.
And after coming to the conclusion that the Sauber must be quite a drivable car based on its decent performance with inexperienced drivers over the first five races, they’re right at the back of the field, hummmmm.
I’ll be tuned in for FP3 and Quali, to find out what’s going on!