Free 2: McLaren leading the way after second practice at Monza

Lewis Hamilton has ended the second practice top of the timing sheets for McLaren, after the second 90 minute session at Monza in preparation for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. The Briton was followed home by team-mate Jenson Button, with Fernando Alonso 3rd after suffering yet another technical hitch on his Ferrari.

Sergio Perez was the first driver to take to the track once the session got underway, in
yet further glorious weather conditions, as the sunshine bathed the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza. The Mexican driver set the initial pace for Sauber, however Kimi Raikkonen immediately replaced Perez at the top of the timing sheets with a 01:26.093. The Finn continued to improve on his time at the top, as many drivers began taking to the circuit.

Narain Karthikeyan immediately made a mistake upon taking to the track, after sitting out the opening session as Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua took his place. The Indian driver ran exceedingly wide a turn 7, skipping deep into the gravel trap on his return to the Monza circuit. Belgian Grand Prix winner, Jenson Button, then shot to the top of the timing sheets, as the Briton set a competitive 01:25.832 in his McLaren. The times then quickly began to tumble, as Nico Rosberg rose to the top for Mercedes with a 01:25.446.

Michael Schumacher, who ended the opening practice session in the morning fastest overall, was then informed that his Mercedes had suffered a DRS failure. However, the German driver was carrying out race simulations, and therefore the DRS was less imperative for Schumacher than usual.

Fernando Alonso then went fastest for local favorites Ferrari, with the Championship leader setting a 01:25.350. The Spaniard then proceeded to run very wide at turn 1, running over the grass near the left-hand side barrier. With many drivers striving to get to grips with the high-speed Monza circuit, other drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg made similar errors upon negotiating turn 1.

The McLaren duo of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton then went fastest, with the latter setting a 01:25.290 to move ahead of his team-mate. Vitaly Petrov ran wide at turn 7, in similar fashion to that of Narain Karthikeyan earlier in the session. Fernando Alonso’s race preparations then took another dip, as the Championship leader was seen coasting back to the pits seemingly stuck in 2nd gear. Upon returning to the pits, the Spaniard jumped out of the car as his mechanics set to working on his car after confirming the Spaniard had suffered a gearbox failure.

With many drivers carrying out race simulations throughout the latter stages of the second practice session, Hamilton’s time at the top was untroubled as the session came to a close. The two Ferraris followed McLaren home in 3rd and 4th, albeit with Alonso suffering a gearbox issue and being unable to return to the circuit in the closing stages.

The teams will now review their acquired data throughout the evening as they prepare for the final practice session tomorrow morning, before they take to the Monza circuit for the all-important qualifying session later in the afternoon in preparation for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Reigning Champion Fernando Alonso will be hoping his mechanical gremlins don’t return as the weekend progresses, as the Ferrari driver hunts for his third victory around the historic Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

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