Carlos Sainz finds the pace to top the timing charts for FP2

Carlos Sainz topped the timing charts for the second practice session of the French Grand Prix, finishing 0.101 seconds ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari duo managed to have a superb session and claim the top two spots.

Both Sainz and Leclerc found the pace needed to place themselves at the top of the timings charts for FP2 and it was clear why the duo were on top. The Italian team's car was exactly how the drivers needed it to be during the session, with the balance being at the perfect point to set purple sectors throughout the hour. The Spaniard's time of 1:32.527 was enough to finish ahead of his teammate, but it was the difference between the chasing Red Bull and Mercedes that should be highlighted.

Max Verstappen was the closest chaser but still finished over half a second behind Sainz, and as for his teammate Sergio Perez, it might be one to forget. The Mexican was all the way down in 10th place and was 1.533 seconds behind the leader. Mercedes could potentially have had a better session than Red Bull, as they finished in fourth and fifth, with George Russell holding the higher position over Lewis Hamilton.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo managed to find the pace needed to both finish in the top 10. It was a tidy practice session for the McLaren duo with no issues, allowing them to get on with their driving and put the car in sixth and ninth respectively, come to the chequered flag. It was surprising to see Pierre Gasly split the two in seventh, but this was a great one for the home fans, as he put in fast laps compared to his teammate Yuki Tsunoda who only managed to best a 14th place finish.

Alpine will hope to forget this session very quickly and only remember the good data gained, as it wasn't a strong hour. Esteban Ocon was nowhere near his compatriot and finished all the way down in 18th, whilst Fernando Alonso could only find the pace to place him in 11th.

Haas arguably had the strongest session of the bottom teams but that was solely down to Magnussen. Mick Schumacher had a spin early on in FP2 but he was able to control it and save the car from a crash but ruined a full set of tyres in doing so. This could have affected the German as he wasn't able to find any more pace, and finished the hour in 19th place. The Dane was only 1.401 seconds off the pace and was able to push on, finishing 11 places higher.

As for Aston Martin, Williams and Alfa Romeo, it was a boring and long session. Valtteri Bottas finished the highest of the six drivers in 12th, followed by Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll in 13th and 15th. Alex Albon's only action was a shaky exit, as he finished in 16th, with Bottas' rookie teammate Zhou Guanyu in 17th. Nicholas Latifi finally got the upgrades he's been asking for but struggled once again and finished at the bottom of the timings charts.