Ocon fastest in Practice 2 at Sao Paulo GP

An unrepresentative Free Practice 2 session for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix saw Esteban Ocon fastest.

The Alpine driver was 0.1s faster than Sergio Perez at the end of the final practice session prior to the Sprint, though little could be read into the result.

Bright sunshine welcomed drivers out on track, conditions in stark contrast to those which hit the Interlagos circuit during Qualifying on Friday.

Cars were in parc ferme, limiting teams to little more than data gathering.

A mixture of soft and medium tyres was in use as they looked to evaluate the compounds head of the Sprint later in the day.

The key question was whether the soft compound tyres would last 24 laps, the Sprint distance, in warmer conditions.

As a result, most had either the red-walled or medium tyres fitted, though Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Mercedes opted for the hards.

Logan Sargeant was in action at Williams, filling in for Alex Albon who’d vacated the seat to help the American secure a Super Licence point.

After 15 minutes, George Russell topped proceedings with a 1:14.916s.

He’d swapped to the soft compound tyres to sit 0.5s clear of Perez, who’d remained on the hard rubber.

Outright times were misleading, with Ocon topping the session with a 1:14.604s at the midway point, remaining there for the balance of proceedings.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen sat outside the top 10, with a time two seconds from the Alpine driver’s lap.

With 20 minutes remaining, Sargeant clocked up his 24th lap – an important milestone as it meant he’d met the 100 km requirement for an extra Super Licence point.

Though busy, different tyre and fuel programmes made it near impossible to extract much meaning from the session, though the soft tyre did look a viable option for the Sprint.

All drivers recorded more than 20 laps, with some north of 30 – Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll both managed 42 laps during the 60-minute session.

Focus now shifts to the Sprint this afternoon, with Kevin Magnussen on pole. The outcome of that session will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

Results: Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Free Practice 2