Q2 – Sainz and Hamilton out as Norris was quickest by just 0.009s
As the race continued in the second round of qualifying, radio replays highlighted Perez’s frustration with the alleged incident with Hamilton, with the Mexican claiming he “wasted a bunch” of tyres as a result. Stewards will investigate the incident after the round.
Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz were the first to post times on the scoreboard, both on used tyres, before a series of laps from their rivals saw Norris fastest in the opening sessions, just nine thousandths of a second behind McLaren team-mate Piastri, with Russell five hundredths of a second behind in third.
With gaps still small, Sainz was perhaps a little nervous to be safe by less than a tenth of a second in 10th, while Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg and Albon were all in the danger zone as the second round got underway.
After Gasly and Tsunoda improved to take them into the top ten, followed by a great performance from Albon to finish fifth, Sainz was eliminated. The Spaniard could only improve his position to tenth through his own efforts, and was soon eliminated when Leclerc moved up to sixth.
The Ferrari driver wasn’t the only victim, with Hamilton surprisingly crashing out of the race from 12th. Tsunoda also crashed out of the race in 13th and the two Haas cars of Hulkenberg and Magnussen in 14th and 15th.
Out of the race: Sainz, Hamilton, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Magnussen
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