FP2 Report | Lewis Hamilton goes quickest ahead of Max Verstappen in Singapore!
- Bobby Vincent
Lewis Hamilton was quickest in FP2 of the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen just under two-tenths behind the Mercedes driver and Sebastian Vettel completing the top three - eight-tenths off his long-term rival. Sergio Perez has been summoned to the pits following an incident with Kevin Magnussen.
How it happened
Alexander Albon was the first one of the top six cars on the track first and he predictably topped the timesheet early on. However, Albon locked up not long after and had to come to an immediate hault.
It was an eventful start to the session for Albon, who then locked up once more, going straight on at Turn 10, hit the barriers ever so softly and his front wing fell off his RB15 and it looked an issue for Red Bull. The fact he hit the barrier straight on looked as if it helped the Red Bull driver.
| @alex_albon front wing | @redbullracing #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/fRL69m2anc
— GPblog.com (@GPblog_com) September 20, 2019
Hamilton came on track and quickly became the man to beat - setting a 1:39.991 - with Verstappen doing his best to catch the five-time world champion, Charles Leclerc was also in contention.
Valtteri Bottas was on track despite his big crash in FP1 and Mercedes clearly did a great job in getting his car ready to go for the second practice session and he spent the early parts of the session in fourth.
Albon set the quickest time, immediately after, Verstappen bettered his team-mate and then Hamilton had the last laugh again, setting a 1:38.773 and the times were decreasing drastically.
Vettel had some problems with traffic and took his frustration out on Magnussen on the Ferrari team radio: "What is he doing there? Sleeping?"
The battle at the front was between Hamilton and Verstappen mainly. Something we could see yet again this weekend. The Ferraris aren't looking as competitive, which was expected in Singapore.
There was some drama between Magnussen and Perez, with the former trying to force a move on Perez, but he didn't leave enough space for the Danish driver. Magnussen seemed to be patient and as a result, he had to return to the pits after damaging his car. The stewards "noted" the incident initially and he has now been summoned to the stewards for potential further action.
Timesheet
1. Lewis Hamilton: 1:38.773
2. Max Verstappen: +0.184
3. Sebastian Vettel: +0.818
4. Valtteri Bottas: +1.121
5. Alex Albon: +1.170
6. Charles Leclerc: +1.245
7. Carlos Sainz: +1.372
8. Nico Hulkenberg: +1.551
9. Lando Norris: +1.588
10. Pierre Gasly: +1.864
11. Daniil Kvyat: +1.940
12. Daniel Ricciardo: +2.038
13. Sergio Perez: +2.102
14. Antonio Giovinazzi: +2.355
15. Lance Stroll: +2.355
16. Kimi Raikkonen: +2.459
17. Romain Grosjean: +2.619
18. George Russell: +2.672
19. Kevin Magnussen: +2.791
20. Robert Kubica: +3.404