SQ2 – Another impressive lap for Norris as Hamilton and Perez exit
With some ominous-looking dark clouds appearing over Interlagos, most of the remaining drivers seemed keen to get going when the 10-minute SQ2 segment got under way.
Norris again caught the eye by pumping in a 1m 09.063s, the McLaren driver’s time putting him just over four tenths clear of nearest challenger Sainz. While Verstappen went purple in Sector 1 – followed by personal bests in Sectors 2 and 3 – the Dutchman missed out on P1 and slotted into second.
Further back, the drivers at risk were Colapinto, Bottas, Bearman, Hulkenberg and Lawson, with the latter three yet to set a time prior to the final minutes of the session. Also close to danger was Hamilton in 10th, with Perez just ahead of him in ninth.
While it was a slight risk to leave it late, the move seemed to have paid off for Bearman, the young driver – substituting for an unwell Kevin Magnussen – going up to fifth. Haas team mate Hulkenberg, however, looked to have been pushed out.
Elsewhere, Hamilton and Perez saw themselves slide into the danger zone. Perez ran out of time to put in another effort, leaving him down in 13th, while Hamilton could only improve to 11th, putting them both out of the session.
Also exiting were Hulkenberg in P12, Williams’ Colapinto in P14 and Kick Sauber’s Bottas in P15.
Knocked out: Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Perez, Colapinto, Bottas
