Charles Leclerc headed a Ferrari 1-2 during second practice for Formula 1’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
Leclerc posted a best time of 1:13.449 in exceptionally hot conditions on Friday afternoon – with air temperature peaking at 38Ëšc – to finish 0.124s clear of team-mate Sebastian Vettel, who had led the way in the first session.
Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton finished just 0.022s down on perennial title rival Vettel, while fourth-placed Valtteri Bottas was another half second adrift.
Max Verstappen finished just two-hundredths of a second behind Bottas though had his race simulation preparation compromised by a mechanical problem with his Red Bull RB15.
Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate, Pierre Gasly, classified down in 15th place, and brought a lacklustre day to a miserable close with a hefty crash.
During the long runs Gasly lost the rear of his RB15 through the final corner and suffered a heavy impact with the wall, sustaining damage to the left-hand-side of the car.
It caused the session to be halted while marshals removed the wreckage.
Romain Grosjean took an encouraging sixth for Haas as he continued to run the Australia-spec VF-19, as part of the team’s ongoing attempts to diagnose its problems.
Racing Point introduced the first part of a two-part aerodynamic package – the second stage of which is set for Budapest next weekend – and displayed strong pace.
Lance Stroll was seventh, just eight-tenths down on pacesetter Leclerc, while Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10.
Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen was eighth – having been vocal about traffic earlier in the session – as Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg took ninth.
Hulkenberg spent the final stages of the session in the garage in the wake of a clutch problem as he tried to leave the pit lane.
McLaren had a low-key day by its recent standards; Carlos Sainz Jr. finished 11th and reported a brake issue late on, while Lando Norris was only 16th, split by Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, and the aforementioned Gasly.
Antonio Giovinazzi and Kevin Magnussen brought up the rear of the midfield for Alfa Romeo and Haas respectively, ahead of the Williams drivers.
George Russell edged Robert Kubica – running the updated aerodynamic package – by less than a tenth of a second, but the pair finished 1.4s off the back of the midfield.
Saturday’s final practice session is scheduled for 12:00 local time
