As the sun drenched the iconic Interlagos circuit, providing a stark contrast to the previous day’s rain-soaked qualifying, Esteban Ocon surged to the top of the timesheets in the crucial final practice session for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Alpine driver’s impressive pace sets a formidable benchmark for the upcoming F1 Sprint Race and Sunday’s main Grand Prix, underlining his team’s potential for a strong weekend.
The hour-long session, held under clear skies and soaring track temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, offered teams a final opportunity to fine-tune their setups before competitive action commenced. Ocon’s leading effort of 1’14.604, achieved shortly before the halfway mark, demonstrated a remarkable understanding of the circuit in these rapidly evolving conditions. The entire field remarkably lapped within two seconds of his leading time, hinting at an incredibly tight battle across the grid for the remainder of the weekend.
Mercedes’ George Russell initially set the pace, showcasing his capabilities by posting a 1’14.916 lap on soft tyres early in the session. This time proved remarkably robust, holding strong enough to secure third place overall by the time the chequered flag waved. Russell’s consistent performance suggests that Mercedes could be a significant contender, particularly after their strong showing in recent races and their historical prowess at Interlagos.
Only two drivers managed to surpass Russell’s early marker: Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing and, ultimately, Ocon himself. Both drivers also utilized the soft compound tyres, which were overwhelmingly favoured by the majority of the grid for their single-lap performance. Perez’s second-place finish, just 0.184 seconds adrift of Ocon, reaffirms Red Bull’s formidable presence, even as they navigated a session that saw varied approaches to tyre strategy.
The session also held particular significance for Williams junior driver Logan Sargeant. Taking over from Alexander Albon, Sargeant continued his relentless pursuit of the final superlicence points required to secure his Formula 1 seat with Williams for the upcoming season. Unlike his previous outing in Mexico where he fell short, Sargeant successfully completed the mandatory 100 kilometres during the session. This crucial achievement adds another vital point to his superlicence tally, bringing him closer to his dream F1 debut and providing Williams with confidence in their young talent.
Following closely behind the top three of Ocon, Perez, and Russell, their respective teammates mirrored their order: Fernando Alonso for Alpine, Max Verstappen for Red Bull, and Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes. This consistent team order across the top three outfits highlights the competitive balance and the strong intra-team dynamics. Interestingly, while the Alpine drivers extensively utilized the hard tyres, neither the Red Bull nor Mercedes drivers opted to touch the medium compound tyres during the entire session. This divergence in strategy could indicate different approaches to understanding tyre degradation and performance across varying conditions, potentially setting up intriguing battles in the Sprint Race.
Pierre Gasly secured a commendable seventh place for AlphaTauri, despite his team experiencing a delayed start to the session, spending the initial 10 minutes in the pits. His ability to quickly get up to speed after a late start speaks to his talent and the team’s ability to react under pressure. Following closely were the Haas pair, who find themselves in contrasting positions for the afternoon’s Sprint Race grid. Mick Schumacher finished eighth, ahead of his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who surprisingly claimed pole position in the dramatic Friday qualifying session. Magnussen’s P9 finish in practice, while not as headline-grabbing as his pole, still showcases Haas’s improved performance. The top 10 was rounded off by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who continues to push his team forward.
In a surprising turn of events, both Ferrari drivers found themselves navigating the bottom half of the timesheets as the practice session concluded. Carlos Sainz Jnr finished in 11th place, separated from his teammate Charles Leclerc by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. This trio, along with two other drivers, all posted remarkably similar lap times in the 1’15.8 range, underscoring the fierce competition in the midfield. Ferrari’s uncharacteristic lack of pace in this session might raise questions about their setup or strategy for the sprint and main race, especially given their usual front-running aspirations.
Nicholas Latifi secured 16th place for Williams, but not without a minor incident. The Canadian driver experienced a brief off-track excursion at Junção, understeering onto the grass. Fortunately, he managed to recover his car without any significant damage or further drama, quickly rejoining the session to continue his programme. Other notable performances included Daniel Ricciardo in 14th for McLaren, Valtteri Bottas in 15th for Alfa Romeo, and the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel finishing 17th and 18th respectively. Guanyu Zhou and Logan Sargeant completed the field, with Sargeant’s time a commendable effort given his primary objective for the session.
This final practice session has effectively set the stage for a thrilling 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. The close gaps across the grid, the varied tyre strategies, and the contrasting fortunes of front-running teams all point towards an unpredictable and exciting F1 Sprint Race, which will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon’s commanding performance in practice will undoubtedly boost Alpine’s confidence, but with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes lurking close behind, the battle for supremacy at Interlagos is far from over.
2022 Brazilian Grand Prix Final Practice Session Results
Here are the full results from the second practice session at Interlagos:
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A522 | 1’14.604 | 28 | |
| 2 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | RB18 | 1’14.788 | 0.184 | 36 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W13 | 1’14.916 | 0.312 | 31 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | A522 | 1’15.049 | 0.445 | 29 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | RB18 | 1’15.098 | 0.494 | 30 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W13 | 1’15.137 | 0.533 | 33 |
| 7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | AT03 | 1’15.636 | 1.032 | 32 |
| 8 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | VF-22 | 1’15.684 | 1.080 | 40 |
| 9 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-22 | 1’15.815 | 1.211 | 38 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL36 | 1’15.851 | 1.247 | 25 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | F1-75 | 1’15.856 | 1.252 | 38 |
| 12 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | AT03 | 1’15.865 | 1.261 | 32 |
| 13 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | F1-75 | 1’15.868 | 1.264 | 37 |
| 14 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL36 | 1’15.994 | 1.390 | 28 |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C42 | 1’16.047 | 1.443 | 34 |
| 16 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | FW44 | 1’16.181 | 1.577 | 34 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR22 | 1’16.263 | 1.659 | 43 |
| 18 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR22 | 1’16.400 | 1.796 | 44 |
| 19 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C42 | 1’16.468 | 1.864 | 37 |
| 20 | 45 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | FW44 | 1’16.480 | 1.876 | 28 |
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