- Spanish Grand Prix - FP2
Hamilton fastest again in FP2
Lewis Hamilton maintained his position at the top of the timesheets in the second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, holding a healthy 0.449s gap over team-mate Nico Rosberg, while Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel failed to make it out the garage.
Vettel stopped on track after just four laps in the first practice session due to an electrical problem and damage to the wiring loom forced him to sit out of FP2 completely. Red Bull will take some comfort in seeing Daniel Ricciardo third fastest, but on both short and long runs he did not look capable of matching the pace-setting Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest, and although he was a further 0.6s off Ricciardo, his race pace looked reasonable compared to the Red Bull and was also matched by team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who finished the session fifth fastest. The McLarens of Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button were sixth and seventh, but 2.2s off the pace of Mercedes, underlining the chassis advantage the factory team has over its customers.
Felipe Massa was eighth fastest, keeping Williams in contention in the top ten, as the team looks set for a close battle with McLaren this weekend. Fellow Mercedes-powered team Force India were outside the top ten but may be holding something back for qualifying.
Pastor Maldonado was ninth fastest in the Lotus, following up on a promising first practice session, but ended FP2 early as the team flagged up a potential gearbox issue. Team-mate Romain Grosjean was further off the pace in 17th place and also had to finish early after the pit wall became concerned about a brake problem. Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top ten after another impressive showing in the Toro Rosso. Jean-Eric Vergne was 0.2s slower than his team-mate but finished his session on three wheels after his right-rear came off a few corners after exiting the pits.
The Caterhams remained over a second off the pace of the rest of the field as both drivers appeared to be struggling for grip all around the lap. Marussia looked more competitive, with Jules Bianchi leading the way as Max Chilton struggled with an engine problem at the start of the session and then lost a piece of rear bodywork around the exhaust known as the "monkey seat" at the final corner. Chilton's session ended in the gravel trap at Turn 4 just as the chequered flag came out after he locked up on corner entry and ran wide.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
