Sochi, FP2: Massa tops rain-hit second practice

The build-up to Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix continued in tricky fashion for Formula One teams at the Sochi circuit as an abbreviated opening session gave way to rain-lashed second practice in which just eight drivers set a time. Williams’ Felipe Massa was quickest ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

A diesel spillage on track meant that the first session was cut short by half and hour and meaningful running proved difficult on the partially wet and greasy track.

Any hopes of making up the lost time in FP2 disappeared as heavy rain moved into the Sochi region for the second session.

Vettel was the first to venture out on track 20 minutes after the session start, with the four-time champion taking to the circuit on full wet tyres. It was a brief bit of action, however, and after gingerly making his way around he headed straight back to the pits and all was quiet again.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso then tested the conditions but as with Vettel’s outing the Spaniard’s track time was brief and he too returned to the pit lane to see how the weather developed.

After 40 minutes he decided to try his luck again and this time he became the first to set a time, lapping in 2:05.599 on the blue-banded Pirelli wet tyres.

Bottas was next out but he failed to set a time. He was followed by the Mercedes pairing of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton but once again no time was set and they took refuge in their garages as the rain continued to fall.

The next man to put a time on the board was Carlos Sainz who set a time of 2:05.973, nearly five seconds down on Alonso. The Toro Rosso driver was quickly bested by team-mate Max Verstappen who set a time of 2:04.858s.

The pair traded times behind Alonso but just over 20 minutes before the end of the session the Dutch driver took over at the top of the timesheet, his lap of 2:00.806 being 0.271s faster than Alonso’s best lap.

The rain intensified after that, making things trickier for the drivers but Jenson Button, in the second McLaren jumped into fourth place behind Verstappen, Alonso and Sainz with a time of 2:06.749.

Red Bull Racing’s Daniil Kvyat then decided to give his drenched home fans some cheer by taking to the track and he vaulted to third place with his lap of 2:01.418.

Bottas then returned to the track and in the final moments took over at the top with a lap of 2:00.782s that left him 0.024s clear of Verstappen.

The flag came out but several drivers were still completing laps, including Massa and Vettel and both managed to move ahead of Bottas, with Massa managing the afternoon’s best time with a lap of 2:00.458, two tenths clear of Vettel who finished three hundredths of a second ahead of Bottas.

In all just six drivers ventured out but did not complete a timed lap while a further six chose to not leave the garage at all.