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Verstappen dominates second free practice at the Belgian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen dominated the second free practice session of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
The Dutchman was 0.862 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc in second position. Lando Norris finished in third position in the cool and overcast conditions in the session.
The Pirelli tyre choice at this race is the white-striped hard compound tyres (C2), yellow-striped medium compound tyres (C3), and red-striped soft compound tyres (C4), the middle range of compounds in the Pirelli tyre range.
Carlos Sainz who topped the morning session set the early pace. Verstappen was soon on top with a lap time of 1:47.699s. Leclerc then slotted into second position ahead of Sainz.
Sainz and Verstappen exchanged positions at the top of the time charts. The cool conditions made it difficult for the drivers to get heat into the tyres.
With thirty minutes to go, the drivers started the qualification simulation with flying laps on the soft compound tyres. Sainz went to the top of the time charts briefly. Verstappen with a lap time of 1:45.507s was back on top as the Dutchman was on a class of his own in this session.
Leclerc slotted into second position, 0.862 seconds slower than Verstappen. Norris and Lance Stroll then went third and fourth fastest behind the leaders.
This pushed Sainz into fifth position ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso then moved himself into seventh position after languishing at the bottom of the time charts.
With twenty minutes to go, the drivers switched to the medium compound tyres. Sergio Pérez with a late run on the soft compound tyres slotted into tenth position. The Mexican was 1.8 seconds off the pace of his team-mate Verstappen.
With fifteen minutes to go, the rain started coming down and the drivers retreated into the garages.
The session ended with Verstappen comfortably on top ahead of Leclerc and Norris. Stroll had another good session as he finished in fourth position ahead of Sainz.
Hamilton and Alonso finished in sixth and seventh positions, almost 1.4 seconds off the pace.
George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo and Pérez rounded off the top ten positions.
2022 Belgian Grand Prix Second Free Practice Results:
| Pos | No | Driver | Nat. | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:45.507 | 20 | |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:46.369 | +0.862s | 21 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren F1 Team | 1:46.589 | +1.082s | 17 |
| 4 | 18 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:46.635 | +1.128s | 16 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:46.649 | +1.142s | 20 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team | 1:46.893 | +1.386s | 18 |
| 7 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:46.975 | +1.468s | 19 |
| 8 | 63 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team | 1:47.042 | +1.535s | 22 |
| 9 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | McLaren F1 Team | 1:47.255 | +1.748s | 18 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:47.346 | +1.839s | 15 |
| 11 | 23 | Alexander Albon | THA | Williams Racing | 1:47.520 | +2.013s | 15 |
| 12 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | CHN | Alfa Romeo Racing | 1:47.617 | +2.110s | 21 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | JAP | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:47.658 | +2.151s | 16 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:47.782 | +2.275s | 19 |
| 15 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | GER | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:47.867 | +2.360s | 19 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:47.944 | +2.437s | 21 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas F1 Team | 1:48.208 | +2.701s | 19 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Alfa Romeo Racing | 1:48.419 | +2.912s | 21 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | CAN | Williams Racing | 1:48.612 | +3.105s | 14 |
| 20 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | GER | Haas F1 Team | 1:49.941 | +4.434s | 23 |
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