Lewis Hamilton remained at the top of the times during Friday’s second practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix, ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, as Mercedes continued to lead Red Bull and Ferrari.
Although neither Hamilton nor Bottas improved on their lap times from first practice, amid hotter temperatures, they were still quick enough to form another 1-2.
Hamilton clocked a 1:09.515 on the Super Soft tyre, putting him half a tenth clear of Bottas, with their nearest rivals again lapping in the 1m09.7s and 1m09.8s.
Daniel Ricciardo, braced for a 10-place grid penalty, due to further power unit changes, finished as Mercedes’ nearest challenger, some two-tenths back.
Sebastian Vettel put his Ferrari between the Red Bulls of Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, though team-mate Kimi Räikkönen was cut adrift in sixth, having complained of vibrations.
Esteban Ocon and Force India led the midfield pack in seventh position, narrowly ahead of Felipe Massa (Williams) and Nico Hülkenberg (Renault).
Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for McLaren-Honda, despite Honda power unit trouble. It prompted an angry reaction on his return to the pits.
Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sergio Pérez followed in the other Renault and Force India machines. The latter returning to action after George Russell’s practice debut.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Haas’ Romain Grosjean both suffered spins, at the Senna ‘S’ and Descida do Lago respectively. They finished 13th and 15th, sandwiching Williams rookie Lance Stroll.
Toro Rosso recovered from FP1 engine issues to get Pierre Gasly (16th) and Brendon Hartley (17th) back on track.
However, they will also be penalised for power unit changes this weekend. Hartley set to drop 10 places on the grid, and Gasly penalty now up to 25 places.
Sauber drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson wound up 18th and 19th. Ericsson compromised by an off track moment at Mergulho, which included a brush with the wall.
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION (END OF FP2): Another strong session for @MercedesAMGF1 #BrazilGP ?? #FP2 pic.twitter.com/s60oXZgJtd
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 10, 2017
