Mercedes return to the top as Bottas takes the fastest time in both sessions. Sergio Perez is given a grid penalty for a collision with Kimi Raikkonen while Lando Norris ended his FP2 running early with a crash.
Overview:
Valtteri Bottas started well in the first F1 sessions at Mugello. The track has never been used for an official F1 session before and many drivers have never even toured the track. Lewis Hamilton was half a second away in FP1, but closed the gap to only 0.2+ in FP2. The silver arrows seemed comfortable around the high-downforce track, but have not pulled out their usual gaps.
Red Bull are considered the closest rivals to the championship leaders and Max Verstappen tantalisingly close on both occasions. The Red Bull should be suited to the twisty track and the Dutchman was never more than 0.250 seconds behind. Alexander Albon managed a somewhat distant 4th in FP2, but was outperformed by Pierre Gasly in the first session.
The midfield battle remains close as ever, as is routine with this chaotic season. Renault appear to have the upper hand, slotting into ‘best of the rest’ status with 5th and 6th place finishes by Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon respectively. Monza race winner Pierre Gasly continued to impress finishing 5th and 8th. After this, the grid was a complete a mix of constructors and racers. The unfancied Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen managed a superb 9th in FP2, while Racing Point and McLaren seem too close to call.
At the lower end, Haas have fallen behind Williams and appear to be propping up the grid. However, Williams are not too far in front and managed to give Racing Point a run for their money in FP1. Normal status was resumed in FP2 however as the pink cars progressed from 18th and 19th to 11th and 7th.
Incidents:
As is customary with sessions at a new track, some drivers tried to push the limits, and were punished. Lando Norris attempted to take too much kerb at turn 3 and made contact with the wall. His front wing was ripped off and the red flag was brought out while the stricken McLaren was collected.
Bizzarely, Sergio Perez and Kimi Raikkonen made contact into turn 1 as Perez locked up into the rear right of the Alfa Romeo. Raikkonen spun into the gravel with minor damage, but Perez was given a 1+ grid penalty for an avoidable incident.
Ferrari:
Ferrari have not hidden away from celebrating their 1000th Grand Prix, but their historic paint job may leave a little to be desired come race day. Despite a strong performance from Charles Leclerc in FP1- finishing 3rd- the Italian team fell back, only just scraping a top 10 finish in FP2. Sebastian Vettel ground to a halt in FP2, while Leclerc almost beached himself in the gravel early on. While it is not expected to be as dire as last weekend, prospects are not high for the most successful F1 team of all time.
After the most entertaining race in recent memory, Mugello looks like it may throw a predictable race our way. But, the pace of the Red Bull is promising and there may be a few uncharacteristic errors on this new, tricky track.
Featured Image Credit: @F1 Official Twitter
