Australian GP: Alonso on top of FP2 in damp conditions
31st March 2023Aston Martin’s, Fernando Alonso, topped the timing boards ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the rain fell in Australia’s Albert Park for free practice two.
How the second practice unfolded…
With the threat of rain incoming, many drivers rushed straight out onto the circuit at the first available opportunity – led out by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Williams’ Logan Sargeant remained in his respective garage as his mechanics worked on an electrical issue as the American brought free practice one to an early end as his FW43 shut down in the dying minutes.
Only Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen (Haas) and Alexander Albon (Williams) remained in their respective garages in the early minutes. However, it wasn’t long before Albon and Magnussen peeled out onto the circuit to get their first lap times on the board.
Of the first lap times, Alonso topped the timing board early with a 1:18.887 on the medium compound tyres. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (7th) looked to be on course to jump to the top of the timing board but he was hindered by the Alfa Romeo of Guanyu Zhou at the turn 9/10 chicane.
After 15 minutes, the rain started to fall in Albert Park which meant all of the drivers returned to the pit lane for car adjustments. Both Ferrari’s of Carlos Sainz (5th) and Charles Leclerc (2nd), and Mercedes’ George Russell (4th) soon peeled back out onto the circuit. Both Leclerc and Sainz were equipped with the soft compound rubber while Russell ventured out on the intermediates.
The trio of drivers soon returned to the pit lane after some reconnaissance laps to test the conditions which left no drivers out on track.
At the halfway point of the session, Both Alpine’s of Pierre Gasly (10th) and Esteban Ocon (6th), and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (13th) ventured out onto the circuit to test out the conditions – all on the intermediate tyres.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, many of the drivers decided to head out to gather valuable data on intermediate running, meaning Alonso’s current fastest lap is relatively safe due to the slower conditions.
It would also prove to be valuable data for the teams, on the whole, as this stands as the first wet tyre run of the season after dry running in the desert-influenced countries of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
After the rain fell at Albert Park, and due to the slower conditions – and slower tyres, no one could snatch away the fastest lap from Alonso who remained on top of the timing board with a 1:18.887.
How the field shaped up after a damp second practice:
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 1:18.887
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
- Esteban Ocon, Alpine
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Yuki Tsuonda, Alpha Tauri
- Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Guanyu Zhou, Alfa Romeo
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Nyck De Vries, Alpha Tauri
- Alexander Albon, Williams
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas
- Logan Sargeant, Williams
That’s all for the article; Australian GP: Alonso on top of FP2 in damp conditions!
Who is your early contender for pole position? Let us know in the comments!
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Australian GP: Verstappen leads down-under ahead of Hamilton and Perez
- Wolff sees ‘promising’ signs at Mercedes F1 factory
- Alonso reinstated back to P3 after Saudi Arabia review
- Alonso slapped with 10 second penalty for serving penalty incorrectly
- LIVE: 2023 Saudi Arabia GP
- Live Coverage: F1 Saudi Arabia GP – Qualifying
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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.
