Russian GP FP2 Report: Valtteri Bottas Potentially Sets the Grid for Sunday’s F1 Race at Sochi

Round 15 of the ongoing F1 season sees 20 of the best F1 drivers take part in the Russian GP this weekend. With tomorrow’s forecast indicating rain, the second practice session at the Sochi Autodrom took on more importance than expected.

Mercedes and Red Bull resumed their battle at the top of the timesheets, while a red flag marred Antonio Giovinazzi’s session.

Mercedes continue to dominate in FP2 at the Russian GP

The Silver Arrows arrive to this track as the only team to win the Russian Grand Prix since 2014. And once again, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton put on a stellar performance to top the timesheets.

Bottas continued to build momentum at one of his strongest tracks, putting in a lap just 0.044s faster than Hamilton. While they had a strong session, Red Bull struggled to make a mark as Max Verstappen could only manage P6. With the Dutchman set to serve an engine penalty on Sunday, this result might not be what he hoped for.

His teammate Sergio Perez finished further back in P11. Although they may seem to be on the back foot, expect the Austrian outfit to bring the fight to Mercedes.

Antonio Giovinazzi suffers heavy crash in FP2

The Italian, who is fighting to keep his seat at Alfa Romeo in 2022, suffered a crash with a little over 20 minutes to go for the session. The crash damaged his rear wing, and may not augur well for his chances to keep his seat for next year.

Pierre Gasly produced a stunning lap to finish P3, behind both Mercedes cars. While Red Bull may have struggled, the Frenchman’s performance shows Honda’s engine can do well. McLaren’s Lando Norris finished P4 to mark the British outfit’s capability.

Esteban Ocon took P5 while his teammate Fernando Alonso finished P8. Despite Charles Leclerc getting a new power unit, he could only finish 10th, while his teammate Carlos Sainz finishing P7.