Monaco, FP2: Ricciardo sets lap record in interrupted session

Red Bull Racing tightened their grip on the top of the Monaco timesheets as Daniel Ricciardo went quickest for the second session in a row, edging team-mate Max Verstappen by almost two tenths of a second in a practice period interrupted by red flags shown to allow for track repairs.

Verstappen set the pace early on with a hypersoft tyre time of 1:12.468s as the session neared the 20-minute mark. He improved to a time of 1:12.071s before the red flags were shown after 25 minutes.

Workmen were sent on track to weld into place what appeared to be a loose drain and after a 15-minute delay the action resumed again with Verstappen again finding more time with a lap of 1:12.035.

Ricciardo left his qualifying simulation late, but when he eventually emerged a little under 20 minutes from the end of the session he found enough space on what had been a crowded track to become the only man under the 1m12s barrier and his laps of 1:11.841s vaulted him to the top of the order.

Sebastian Vettel was third fastest for Ferrari, 0.378s off the pace and just over a tenth ahead of Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, who edged Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Räikkönen by just nine thousandths of a second. Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas was sixth, 0.099s slower than fellow Finn Räikkönen.

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was seventh ahead of McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and team-mate Fernando Alonso, who enjoyed a much more fruitful session than in the morning, when they finished 15th and 17th respectively.

Tenth place in the session was taken by Carlos Sainz in the second Renault, with the Spaniard finishing 1.398s off the pace. Sainz was marginally ahead of Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley who brushed with the wall with his right rear in the latter stages of the 90 minutes.