Seleccions

Seleccions

Seleccions

Spain beach
Home›Spain beach›Leclerc fastest in 2nd practice for Australian F1 race

Leclerc fastest in 2nd practice for Australian F1 race

By James K. Martin
April 8, 2022
0
0
Share:

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain steers his car into the pit lane during the first practice session for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, April 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz of Spain steers his car into the pit lane during the first practice session for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, April 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)


Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

PA

Melbourne, Australia

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc led Friday’s second practice session for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, with defending series champion and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second.

Leclerc clocked 1 minute, 18.978 seconds at the revamped Albert Park layout, with Verstappen 0.245 seconds behind. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who led after the first practice session, was third fastest.

Local hopeful Daniel Ricciardo in a McLaren was 10th fastest and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes 13th.

There will be another practice session on Saturday before qualifying later in the afternoon for Sunday’s race.

Leclerc won the season-opening race in Bahrain and Verstappen won the second in Saudi Arabia, both in March.

During a major refurbishment of the Melbourne track, five corners were reprofiled at Albert Park and two were removed altogether, meaning practice times were typically five seconds faster than at previous races, making meaningless previous track records.

Friday’s practice sessions have been held 756 days since the 2020 race was canceled at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic with spectators lining up at the gates for the first practice session on Friday March 13 of this year.

Sainz and Leclerc scored twice in the first practice, but veteran Spanish Sainz warned against expecting too much from his Ferrari team. This is despite Leclerc winning and a second place and Sainz a third and a second in the first two races.

“We keep saying that Red Bull and Mercedes are the favorites because we haven’t fought for the title in recent years,” Sainz said. “We are always very careful. We know we have put together a great car on track, but these two teams have been fighting for the title for two or three years.

“They know how much they need to improve, they know exactly what they need to do. And maybe we lack that bit of experience.”

Leclerc said the same.

“Even though we are leading. . . we’ve only done two races, so it’s still too early to think about the championship,” said Leclerc.

Leclerc said before the first practice session that he thought the track renovations could give Red Bull an advantage.

“For our car, I would prefer to stay with the old layout, but that’s just from a performance point of view,” said Leclerc. “The only reason I say that is because Red Bull seem to be very strong on the straights… and there are a lot of straights in general now, so we might struggle a bit more.

After two races, Leclerc leads the drivers’ championship with 45 points, followed by Sainz (33) and Verstappen (25).

___

More AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Related posts:

  1. Danny Valencia plays for the Israel baseball team in Tokyo
  2. Travel with Terri to Miami – Cross Timbers Gazette | South Denton County | Mound of flowers
  3. 9 best European cities to visit in September
  4. FALLS IN THE SEA | Additional news
Previous Article

Spanish INTA orders C295 flying laboratory

Next Article

The best luxury hotels and resorts in ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • Spain beach

    Defending champions Algeria shocked by Nations Cup after blunder that cost Ivory Coast

    January 16, 2022
    By James K. Martin
  • Spain beach

    Easyjet Holidays is offering £ 100 off beach stays in July and August 2022

    August 23, 2021
    By James K. Martin
  • Spain beach

    One of New Zealand’s most wanted fugitives arrested in Spain over 500kg drug shipment

    June 24, 2022
    By James K. Martin
  • Spain beach

    Fintech Executive Andreas Vezonik Chooses High-Value Destinations For Travel Recovery

    November 8, 2021
    By James K. Martin
  • Spain beach

    Shapovalov swears at crowd before surviving Italian Open opener against Sonego

    May 9, 2022
    By James K. Martin
  • Spain beach

    Oil slick from half-sunken ship in Gibraltar reaches Spanish beach

    September 2, 2022
    By James K. Martin

  • Spain resorts

    Jet2 publishes last minute Easter holidays with exciting offers

  • Spain Economy

    Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act awaits New York Governor’s signature

  • Spain business

    Spain fully supports the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU | app