Verstappen drives third time
The 2nd free practice of the GP of Italy 2021 is slowly getting underway. The two Haas cars set their times first. Mick Schumacher brakes and stays behind Mazepin, who leads the field for a while while the rest warm up. After about ten minutes Sergio Pérez gets over it on older medium tires. The two Ferraris slow down and Ricciardo shoots straight across the grass.
Max Verstappen and the Mercedes take to the track when just under fifteen minutes has passed. Hamilton’s first attempt lags behind that of Verstappen, Pérez and Gasly. Both Max and Lewis ride on soft tires; Bottas has older hard tires and bounces over the second chicane after a braking mistake. After half an hour, Mazepin is still in the top ten, ahead of the McLarens, Astons and Ferraris, among others. The last one is Esteban Ocon for the time being, who drives with a full tank.
Sainz crashes
Then the red flag is waved: Carlos Sainz oversteers and crashes hard. His car spins a few times and ends up in the middle of the track. “Hey hello, huge crash,” he says over the radio. “That hurt a little, but I’m okay.” Ferrari will have a hard time getting the car ready in time for the sprint race this afternoon.
With 21 minutes left on the clock, the 2nd free practice session of the 2021 Italian GP continues. Hamilton drives half a second faster than Verstappen and Bottas (now on soft) also dives under the time of the Dutchman. Then Lewis pits for a set of fresh hard tires, approaching the time he set on softs to just under three tenths.
With six minutes to go, Leclerc yells over the radio to stop. “I can’t explain it now,” he says. It is hoped for the Scuderia that they will be a little more successful at their home race tomorrow than they have been so far. At the last minute Lewis shoots straight ahead when he pushes too hard. And Mazepin? He is still sixteenth.
2nd free practice of the 2021 Italian GP
01. Lewis Hamilton
02. Valtteri Bottas
03. Max Verstappen
04. Sergio Perez
05. Esteban Ocon
Dates and times of the 2021 Italian GP
Saturday September 11, 2021
Sprint: 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Sunday September 12, 2021
Race: 3:00 PM
