FP2: Mercedes increase advantage to competition
The second free practice session at Melbourne saw the Mercedes cars edge ahead of the field. After a very tightly matched FP1, both Mercedes had a comfortable 8 tenths ahead of Max Verstappen.
The Dutch Red Bull driver was the fastest non-Mercedes, with team mate Pierre Gasly closely behind.
Ferrari dropped down the pecking order, with Vettel claiming the team is not yet at its best, and is still looking to find the ideal setup for their car. The German was 5th fastest while team mate Leclerc, 3 tenths behind Vettel, ended up 9th.
Kimi Raikkonen again held 6th place, ahead of Renault's duo. Ricciardo now closely matched his team mate after having struggled with a seat issue in the first practice that saw him off the pace.
Romain Grosjean was 10th fastest, replacing Magnussen as the Haas representative in the top 10.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:22.600 | - | 33 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:22.648 | +0.048s | 33 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:23.400 | +0.800s | 33 |
| 4 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:23.442 | +0.842s | 31 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:23.473 | +0.873s | 35 |
| 6 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:23.572 | +0.972s | 40 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:23.574 | +0.974s | 37 |
| 8 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:23.644 | +1.044s | 31 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:23.754 | +1.154s | 35 |
| 10 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:23.814 | +1.214s | 37 |
| 11 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:23.933 | +1.333s | 36 |
| 12 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:23.988 | +1.388s | 27 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point Bwt Mercedes | 1:24.011 | +1.411s | 38 |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 1:24.133 | +1.533s | 26 |
| 15 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:24.293 | +1.693s | 37 |
| 16 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point Bwt Mercedes | 1:24.401 | +1.801s | 34 |
| 17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:24.675 | +2.075s | 40 |
| 18 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 1:24.733 | +2.133s | 26 |
| 19 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 1:26.453 | +3.853s | 32 |
| 20 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 1:26.655 | +4.055s | 33 |
