FP2: Mercedes dominates again

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas continued their domination of the first day's practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix into FP2, with the Mercedes duo once again finishing first and second fastest.

The afternoon session had a familiar look as Hamilton and Bottas took up position at the head of the field and finished comfortably in the top two positions.

Daniel Ricciardo improved on his fifth-place finish in FP1 to move into third behind the Mercedes drivers, while Sebastian Vettel, who had a near-miss with a barrier upon entering the pit area, also did better in his second outing, eventually finishing in fourth.

The drivers opted for soft tyres on the 53-degree track. However, grip was an issue for many participants including Max Verstappen, who had to recover from a lock-up to eventually finish in fifth.

Fernando Alonso did not have the best of starts to FP2 and had to retreat to the garage after just five completed laps. Initially thought to be a leakage problem, this proved not to be the case and the Spaniard was back out on the track shortly after to eventually finish 10th.

The most spectcular lack of control came via Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson, who spun sideways into the barriers at Mugello. Thankfully, he was able to continue with minimal damage to his vehicle, even if he finished second from bottom.

Elsewhere on the track, there was a slide for Stoffel Vandoorne and a spin for Romain Grosjean but neither incident was a cause for concern.

Heavy rain was predicted before the drivers came out for their second practice, but the surface stayed dry even if the warnings are still in place for qualifying tomorrow and the Grand Prix on Sunday.