Free 2: Vettel and Red Bull quickest again

Sebastian Vettel has ended the second practice session at the top of the timing sheets once again in preparation for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, around the tight and tricky confines of the Marina Bay street circuit. Vettel was followed home in 2nd by Jenson Button, with the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso in 3rd.

Charles Pic was the first driver to take to the track as the session got underway, and was instantly followed out on track by the Sauber of Sergio Perez and the Williams of Pastor Maldonado. The former set the initial pace around the Marina Bay street circuit, with a 01:54.830, however both Jean-Eric Vergne and Paul di Resta rose to the top as the majority of the field instantly took to the track and set quick times.

The McLaren of Jenson Button soon went fastest with a 01:50.837, whilst the Caterham of Vitaly Petrov spun at turn 8 and rejoined. The McLaren’s dominance then continued as Lewis Hamilton stormed to the top with a 01:50.561, however reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel intervened shortly after with a 01:50.497 to go fastest overall.

However, the battle at the top of the timing sheets raged on, as Lewis Hamilton wasted no time in returning to the top with a 01:50.074. Whilst Hamilton asserted his authority at the top, Bruno Senna became one of the first drivers to take to the track on the super-soft Pirelli tyre compound. The Brazilian driver was quickly joined by other drivers also opting for the super-soft compound, as the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne, Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez all ran super-softs.

The Williams of Bruno Senna then made a monumental error on the exit of turn 19, as the Brazilian driver tapped the retaining wall and spun into turn 20. The Williams of Senna came to a stop of the apex of turn 20, resulting in a red flag as the marshals set to retrieving the stricken FW34.

Once the session was resumed, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Rosberg became the first drivers to return to the Marina Bay circuit. As the majority of the field switched to the super-soft tyres, Felipe Massa momentarily went fastest for Ferrari. However, the ever-dominant Lewis Hamilton returned to the top with a 01:49.086, after making slight error whilst negotiating the final corner.

As the session entered its final 40 minutes, the times quickly began to tumble as Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso rose to the top for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively. The McLaren of Jenson Button then shot to the top of the timing sheets with a 01:48.651, before the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel went fastest with a 01:48.340 for Red Bull. This remained unbeatable as the session neared its conclusion, as the majority of the teams began running heavy-fuel race simulations in the closing minutes of the session.

Sebastian Vettel was followed home by the McLaren of Jenson Button, who predicted that the Red Bull duo could be a threat throughout the weekend. Championship leader Fernando Alonso ended the session 3rd overall, as Kamui Kobayashi ended his session with a spin as the checkered flag fell.

The F1 grid will now continue crunching the numbers overnight, before tomorrow evening’s final practice session ahead of qualifying. Sebastian Vettel looks a force to be reckoned with, with Championship contenders Alonso, Hamilton and Button close behind.