Dutch Grand Prix: Leclerc tops FP2 by 0.004 over Sainz
3rd September 2022Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc edged out his teammate, Carlos Sainz, from the top spot by the thinnest of margins while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen struggled to break into the top three.
How second practice unfolded…
As the pit exit light went green, there was a flurry of action down in the pit lane as the majority of the field ventured onto the circuit. After three minutes, 19 out of 20 drivers were out on track, only Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly remained his garage.
After the opening 10 minutes, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timing board with a quick lap around the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort. However, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz quickly demoted the defending world champion down to second-fastest as the Spaniard set a 1:13.412 lap, 0.053 seconds faster than Red Bull’s main man.
However, as the session reached its halfway mark, Sainz improved his lap time to remain out on top with a 1:12.349. while Mercedes’ George Russell and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso rounded out the top three respectively.
When session peaked over the halfway crest, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timing board with a lap which topped the timing sheets by 0.004 seconds over his teammate, Sainz who was demoted down to second.
With just over 15 minutes left to go, Leclerc (1:12.345) and Sainz topped the timing sheets, separated by 0.004 seconds, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three, 0.072 seconds off the Monegasque’s pace.
At the same time, Ricciardo was the only driver in his respective garage with an oil leak on his radiator of his MCL-36 which ended his FP2 session prematurely. At the time, the Australian set the 10th fastest time before he was forced to pit for repairs.
A yellow flag was brought out before it was quickly upgraded to a red flag as Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda had beached himself within the gravel trap at turn 10.
Fastest three:
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Sir Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
That’s it for the article: Dutch Grand Prix: Leclerc tops FP2 by 0.004 over Sainz! Who do you think is an early contender for pole position? Let us know in the comments!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
