Brendan Lines 1st August, 2020 10.00am

Racing Point continue to make headlines at the British Grand Prix as Lance Stroll went fastest in Friday’s FP2 ahead of Red Bull’s Alex Albon in P2 before the session was red-flagged when Albon’s RB16 smashed into the barriers at Stowe.

Stroll’s fastest lap of 1:27.274 was +0.090 faster than Albon, just over two-tenths quicker than Max Verstappen’s fastest time in FP1.

“It’s been a positive day and it feels great to be on top in FP2. The car was strong on both the short and long runs today, so it’s a promising start to the weekend for us. We knew coming into the weekend that Silverstone could suit the car and it looks like we’ve got a good shot at some big points this weekend, although qualifying and the race are where it really matters.” Stroll said after FP2.

Stroll’s new stand-in teammate Nico Hülkenberg continued his impressive fast-tracked return to F1 finishing P7.

Albon’s crash at Stowe saw the Thai driver hit the barriers backwards after correcting his sliding RB16, the subsequent impact triggered the car’s G-force sensor, Albon was clearly shaken but was later cleared by track medics.

The hot conditions scorched Silverstone as track temperatures peaked at 50°C as teams began their qualifying simulations.

Mercedes’ Valtteri ended the second session in P3 (1:27.431s), with teammate Lewis Hamilton in P5 (1:27.481s), the team’s focus was on single-lap performance on the Soft tyre, alongside long-run balance and the warm-up slope of the harder compounds.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc survived a spin at The Loop to post a lap of 1:27.520s for P4, while teammate Sebastian Vettel overcame his intercooler issues from FP1, but a loose component in the cockpit slowed his run, the German finished in P18 one and a half seconds off the pace.

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz put in the most laps run for the session (35) on the Medium and Soft tyres to finish P6 (1:27.820s), while fellow McLaren driver Lando Norris was back in P11 eight tenths off Stroll’s pace.

Alpha Tauri made a step forward from FP1, but in FP2 the red flags and the traffic did not allow drivers Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kyvat to get the best out of the option tyres on the short run, Gasly finished in P8 (1:27.997s) and Kyvat P15 (1:28.426s).

Both Renault drivers predominantly ran on Hard tyres in preparation for Sunday’s race with a quick outing on Softs for pre-qualifying assessments, Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo finished P9 (1:28.112s) with teammate Esteban Ocon in P12 (1:28.219s).

Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen rounded out the top 10 with a lap of 1:28.159s, and Antonio Giovinazzi ran in P13.

The hot conditions are expected to change overnight in Newhamptonshire with 10°C cooler temperatures and rain forecast for Saturday’s qualifying.

FP3 and Qualifying sessions begin from 7.30pm ACST tonight.