Red Bulls ahead in second free practice at Spa-Francorchamps
Max Verstappen was fastest at the end of the second free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The Dutchman was two tenths quicker than Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull, while Nico Hulkenberg was a surprise third for Sahara Force India.
Red Bull surged ahead after an anonymous first practice session, whereas Nico Rosberg, the fastest man of the morning ended up in 6th. Lewis Hamilton meanwhile didn't focus on outright speed at all, instead working on race pace as another new engine fitting ahead of FP2 ensures him of a starting position at the back of the grid.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was 4th, nearly a second down on the pace setter, followed by the second fastest Force India. Kimi Raikkonen was 7th, ahead of Grosjean. The Frenchman had a strong session and along with Gutierrez' 10th fastest time made it a solid day for Haas F1 Team.
Jenson Button in the McLaren completed the top 10 in 9th place, a strong positive after 18th in the morning session.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:48.085 | - | 27 |
| 2 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:48.341 | +0.256s | 27 |
| 3 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India Mercedes | 1:48.657 | +0.572s | 30 |
| 4 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:49.023 | +0.938s | 27 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 1:49.100 | +1.015s | 27 |
| 6 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:49.161 | +1.076s | 33 |
| 7 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:49.244 | +1.159s | 30 |
| 8 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:49.419 | +1.334s | 20 |
| 9 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 1:49.419 | +1.334s | 23 |
| 10 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas Ferrari | 1:49.648 | +1.563s | 23 |
| 11 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mrt Mercedes | 1:49.716 | +1.631s | 31 |
| 12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 1:49.772 | +1.687s | 30 |
| 13 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:49.782 | +1.697s | 33 |
| 14 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:49.916 | +1.831s | 25 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 1:50.083 | +1.998s | 27 |
| 16 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 1:50.151 | +2.066s | 19 |
| 17 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 1:50.157 | +2.072s | 29 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:50.194 | +2.109s | 25 |
| 19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:50.375 | +2.290s | 34 |
| 20 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:50.562 | +2.477s | 32 |
| 21 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Mrt Mercedes | 1:50.659 | +2.574s | 25 |
| 22 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 1:50.719 | +2.634s | 24 |
