The drivers will have a bit more time to adapt to the Sao Paulo track ahead of qualifying. The second FP2 practise session of the Sao Paulo weekend saw the McLaren drivers out on track first, with track conditions a bit different compared to the ones of yesterday’s practise session, Bird told on the radio track temperature is ten degrees lower.
Early moments
Five minutes in the session, it’s a Porsche 1-2 with da Costa ahead of reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein.
Muller and Di Grassi almost came into contact, with the Lola ABT driver on his out lap and significantly slower than the German debuting for Andretti, who was on his way to set a rather positive time following his debut for the American team yesterday.
With 30 minutes to go, Frijns and Gunther cycle at the lead, but ultimately Wehrlein signs a 1:12.005s to get the top spot.
Kiro’s Dan Ticktum had a drifting moment, but he was quick to regain control of his Porsche-powered challenger.
The first driver to sign a lap time in the 1:11s is Jake Dennis, who had been quite fast already in FP1, but the DS Penske driver duo of Gunther and Vergne improved his effort minutes after, with the former lowering the benchmark to 1:10.355s.
Bird splits the Penske duo as Nissan’s Oliver Rowland runs wide at Turn1. The British driver is joined by his new Neom McLaren teammate Taylor Barnard on the provisional podium.
Kiro’s Beckmann goes fastest in 1:10.248s with 20 minutes to go, followed by De Vries and Gunther. Mahindra’s Mortara slots in the final podium slot next.
Wehrlein puts in a good fight and signs the first lap of the session in the 1:09s, with Da Costa lowering the times even more.
Ticktum has been shown a black and white flag for track limits and is under investigation for disregarding them multiple times. Nissan’s Rowland keeps up with the good form shown yesterday sliding in P2 0.055s off the Portugues’s 1:09.655s.
Turn 1 runoff paradise
Nick Cassidy is the latest driver to run wide at Turn 1. The Kiwi 2024 championship contender opened up on his radio, highlighting the lack of feeling with his current Jaguar car:” How is it possible two days in a row we do the same shit?”
Five minutes to go in Sao Paulo FP2 , Bird suffers from lockup and runs wide off track at Turn1. Lola ABT driver duo of Maloney and Di Grassi are the latest Turn 1 victims, as De Vries is investigated for regeneration power infringement.
In the final heated moments f the session Dennis goes fastest in 1:09.617s, followed by Da Costa and Rowland. Wehrlein and Evans round off the top 10, with the Envision drivers, Muller, Gunther and Ticktum in the top 10.
Tune in in a couple of hours for Qualifying!
