Q2 – Russell sets the pace on the medium tyre
After heading out last in Q1, Verstappen was the first to hit the track as the 15-minute Q2 segment got underway, the Red Bull man running the medium tyres while the other 14 cars looked to have opted for the soft compound.
It was a strong start for the World Champion as he pumped in an early benchmark of 1m 11.638s, going 0.038s quicker than Norris in second, while Piastri was third fastest ahead of the Ferrari pair of Leclerc and Hamilton.
At the halfway point, the drivers in danger were Colapinto, Hadjar, Ocon, Hulkenberg and Albon, while it was also confirmed that Ocon would be investigated after the session for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions in allegedly not keeping to the far right side of the track.
As the minutes ticked down – with a mixture of soft and medium tyres at play across the pack – Leclerc moved up to P1 on the C6 compound, only to be bettered by Russell on the C5 via a 1m 11.570s.
There was some late drama when Russell passed Tsunoda at the pit lane exit, prompting Tsunoda to call for the Briton to receive a penalty, while the Japanese racer became the object of another driver’s ire when he overtook Leclerc as the Ferrari driver prepared for his flying lap.
When the chequered flag fell, Tsunoda found himself out of the session in P11, though the Japanese driver will start even further back on Sunday after receiving a 10-place grid drop for a red flag infringement in FP3. Also eliminated in Q2 were Colapinto (P12), Hulkenberg (P13) and the Haas pairing of Bearman and Ocon in P14 and P15.
Knocked out: Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Ocon
