Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 as Red Bull slipped down the order in Practice 2 at the Spanish Grand Prix.
It was business as usual for the Brackley-based team as the world champion led teammate Valtteri Bottas by just over 0.1s following the first lower fuel runs on the soft tyre.
However, a mistake at Turn 10 for Max Verstappen ruined his first flying lap on the fastest compound and traffic on his next attempt would only leave him ninth in a very tightly packed order.
As for teammate Sergio Perez, the Mexican simply lacked pace in the first and final sector of his lap as he finished one place behind Max in 10th, three-quarters of a second behind Hamilton.
Perhaps one notable factor for Red Bull’s lack of pace came in the speed trap, where Perez was 11kph slower than the Honda-powered AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda on the straight, hinting at lower engine modes.
Still, it was from far ideal for the Anglo-Austrian outfit on a track where most were expecting them to shine.
Even so, Mercedes’ advantage was still a narrow one, with Charles Leclerc almost matching Bottas’ time in third for Ferrari.
The two Alpines were also only around three-tenths behind Hamilton in fourth and fifth as Esteban Ocon continued to lead teammate Fernando Alonso.
AlphaTauri look to be back on form in sixth and seventh. Carlos Sainz ran eighth in the second Ferrari, with the aforementioned Bulls completing the top 10.
Another surprise in Practice 2 was McLaren’s lack of speed with Lando Norris only 12th and Daniel Ricciardo 15th.
Aston Martin also slipped back after a stronger morning session as Sebastian Vettel finished 11th and Lance Stroll 14th.
Alfa Romeo are trying to cling on to the midfield pack with 13th for Antonio Giovinazzi and 16th for Kimi Raikkonen, who completed his first running of the weekend.
At the rear, the windy conditions once again blew Williams off course in 17th and 18th, putting them just about in sight for Mick Schumacher in 19th.
Finally, Nikita Mazepin once again brought up the field in the second Haas, four-tenths behind Schumacher.
The second hour of practice produced more questions than answers in Barcelona, but they will come in qualifying on Saturday.
Full results from Practice 2 can be seen below:
