Max in P14 after Monza FP2: 'We tried quite a few things today'

Published on 30 August 2024 by Misha van der Kroon

After being fastest in the first free practice, the second session was less successful for Max Verstappen with a fourteenth place. A crash by Kevin Magnussen prevented the world champion from setting a fast time on the soft tyres, which explains his lower position on the leaderboard. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in his Mercedes, followed by Lando Norris in the McLaren in P2. Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was in P3. Oscar Piastri in his McLaren and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari completed the top five at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. Max’s teammate at Oracle Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, set the fifteenth time.

“We tried quite a few things today with the set-up,” Max says after the session in Monza. “FP2 was initially not that great, but it seemed like the long runs were a little more competitive. The track seems quite aggressive on tyres at the moment, so it is quite interesting how that will evolve for the race.”

He continues: “We have a few directions to take with the car. I think it will be quite close between a lot of cars. And hopefully we can be in that mix.”

It is sunny and 34 degrees when the lights at the end of the pit lane in Monza turn green. Due to Kimi Antonelli’s crash, the first free practice is halted for a while, likely preventing most teams from completing their programs. As a result, the second session is expected to be busier to make up for the lost time.

At the start of the session, the team of Mercedes is still working on repairing George Russell’s car, which was pretty damaged after Antonelli’s crash. Esteban Ocon is the first to set a time on the clock in his Alpine, followed closely by Yuki Tsunoda. Most of the field goes out on track immediately, except for Max and Perez, who remain in the pits.

A little later, Max goes out on track, but aborts his first attempt. On medium tyres, he drives a slow lap, and then goes for a timed lap again. At that moment, Sainz is the fastest, followed by Norris. His first flying lap puts Max on P3, three-tenths off the lead. Like Russell, Perez is still not in his car, with mechanics working on a gearbox change for the Mexican’s RB20.

After twenty minutes, both Ferraris are leading the field, and Max is fourth. The first to put a fresh set of soft tyres on their cars and start a qualifying simulation are the McLarens. Piastri takes P1 from Charles Leclerc. Not long after, Norris improves on that time and climbs to the top of the timesheets. With 37 minutes left, the mechanics in the Mercedes garage have finished their work and Russell. However, not everything seems to be tightened properly, as the Brit reports a loose nut moving around the cockpit over the radio.

Max also appears on track on a fresh set of soft tyres. Again, Max aborts his attempt of a fast time after a moment of oversteer in the Parabolica, the spot where Antonelli crashed his Mercedes in the tyre barriers during FP1.

Halfway through the session, Magnussen causes a red flag. The Danish Haas driver spins off in the second Lesmo corner and hits the tyre barriers hard. The clock keeps ticking, and it seems like it will take a while. The car has to be removed, and the tyre barriers have to be put back in place. It looks like Max and several others will not be able to finish the qualifying simulations.

With eighteen minutes to go, the track is cleared again, and Perez is the first to go out. Max also appears on track. The Dutchman is currently in thirteenth place and has switched back to a set of medium tyres.

Most drivers are on track for a race simulation, and Hamilton reports for the second time today that his seat is getting very hot. His teammate George Russell had earlier made similar comments to his engineer.

The session ends quietly with the race simulations, concluding the first day in Monza.

Contest Italian GP: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!

Results second free practice Italy: