Red Bull were not their usual imperious selves. Verstappen ran later than his rivals because of the enforced delay to his programme, and should have had the better of the track conditions when he set his fastest lap.
But he was not able to match Leclerc’s pace, set earlier in the session, and his high-fuel run was not especially strong either, although affected by traffic and only three laps long.
Verstappen said: “A little bit messy because I went wide in P1 and damaged the floor and the chassis so it took a little bit longer to fix that so I lost like 20 minutes. But the turnaround was very quick so I more or less completed the programme.
“It was alright, Ferrari is quick but there are a few more things we can fine-tune. Nothing crazy, nothing worrying, just need to fine-tune the car.”
As in the first session, a number of drivers had off-track moments, especially through the high speed chicane at Turns 10 and 11.
None, though, crashed, unlike in the first session when Williams driver Alex Albon lost control on the exit of Turn Six and smashed into the wall at Turn Eight, which follows shortly afterwards.
Albon missed the second session, with Williams saying they were assessing the damage to his car.