Leclerc second, Hamilton third for Ferrari in Spanish Grand Prix second practice
Charles Leclerc set the second-fastest time and Lewis Hamilton the third in second free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit, as Scuderia Ferrari HP completed 49 laps.
- 1'33"775
- 1'33"811
- 26
- 49
What Happened
Scuderia Ferrari HP again began its programme in the second free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit on the Medium tyres. Charles Leclerc set a time of 1'34"429 and Lewis Hamilton stopped the clocks at 1'34"825. Both drivers then switched to the Soft compound, with Leclerc improving to 1'33"775 for second-fastest and Hamilton to 1'33"811 for third-fastest. With just over twenty minutes remaining the session was red flagged following Arvid Lindblad's crash at Turn 13, and running resumed with just over ten minutes to go.
- Leclerc 1'34"429; Hamilton 1'34"825
- Leclerc 1'33"775 (second fastest); Hamilton 1'33"811 (third fastest)
49
Leclerc completed 26 laps, three more than Hamilton.
- Ferrari started both cars on the Medium tyres.
- Leclerc set 1'34"429 and Hamilton 1'34"825 on the Mediums.
- Both switched to Softs: Leclerc to 1'33"775, Hamilton to 1'33"811.
- A red flag came with just over twenty minutes left after Arvid Lindblad crashed at Turn 13.
- Running resumed with just over ten minutes remaining, the Ferraris completing longer runs — Leclerc on Softs, Hamilton on Mediums.
Leclerc's 26 laps were three more than his team-mate managed across the session. After the restart the focus shifted to longer runs, with Leclerc continuing on the Soft compound while Hamilton used the Mediums from the start of the session. The result leaves Leclerc second and Hamilton third on the timesheets from second practice.
Previously from Ferrari N.V.
Earlier the same day, Scuderia Ferrari HP opened the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the new Madring circuit with Charles Leclerc third fastest and Lewis Hamilton fourth, the pair completing 54 laps between them. The Spanish Grand Prix is being held at Madring, a new 5.416-kilometre circuit built around Madrid's IFEMA exhibition district, for the first time.
- Ferrari takes third and fourth in Spanish Grand Prix opening practice at new Madring circuit
- Ferrari heads to Madring as Spanish Grand Prix moves to a new Madrid circuit
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ferrari N.V.'s official releases.
Why this matters
The session shows where the two Ferrari drivers stand against the rest of the grid on pure pace at a brand-new circuit, with Leclerc ahead of his team-mate by three positions on the timing screens. It matters for the team's weekend prospects and for fans tracking the intra-team battle between Leclerc and Hamilton.
Terms in This Story
- Free Practice
- Timed, non-scoring sessions held before a race weekend's qualifying and race, used by teams to test car set-ups and tyre behaviour.
- Red flag
- A signal that stops a session or race immediately, usually because of a crash or debris on the track.
- Soft compound / Medium compound
- Different rubber mixtures for tyres: a softer compound generally gives more grip but wears faster, while a medium compound is harder-wearing.
- Madring
- The name used in the source for the circuit hosting this Spanish Grand Prix.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.