Rosberg fastest despite dramatic tyre failure in FP2

Nico Rosberg again topped the standings but suffered a dramatic high-speed tyre failure during FP2 for the Belgian Grand Prix.

Having already been fastest in the morning session despite reliability issues, Rosberg continued where he had left off and was quickest on the soft tyre runs with a 1:49.385. Hamilton was 0.302s adrift of his team-mate at the end of the session having been the only other driver to dip below the 1m50s mark.

With 25 minutes of the session remaining, Rosberg was on a long run approaching Blanchimont at full throttle when his right rear tyre spectacularly failed, pitching him sideways. Fortunately for Rosberg, he kept the car out of the wall and it came to a halt in the run-off area on the outside of the corner.

Replays showed some part of Rosberg's tyre starting to come free from the structure as early as Les Combes, but Pirelli will be keen to investigate the full cause of the incident.

Shortly after the restart, Marcus Ericsson lost control of his Sauber at Pouhon, trying to catch the car as the rear end stepped out on the kerb but overcorrecting and hitting the barrier on the outside of the track at high speed. Fortunately, Ericsson was able to climb out of the car unaided but his Sauber was heavily damaged in the crash.

It was a dramatic end to the session, with Daniel Ricciardo then having to catch the rear of his car cresting Radillon and running wide, before Romain Grosjean stopped on the run down to Pouhon.

Amid the chaotic end, Red Bull's strong start to the weekend continued with 2014 Belgian Grand Prix winner Ricciardo third ahead of Daniil Kvyat in fourth place. However, while FP1 had seen close times at the top of the standings, Ricciardo was the only driver within a second of Rosberg's time in the afternoon as he ended the session 0.751s adrift.

Kvyat edged out Kimi Raikkonen and Nico Hulkenberg, with the pair setting identical times but Raikkonen ahead in the standings having posted the 1:50.461 first. Grosjean had a long walk back to the pits from where his Lotus stopped after the chequered flag but he ended the session in seventh place, while Ericsson's crash marred a strong FP2 as he finished eighth.

Felipe Nasr and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top ten, with Sauber enjoying the upgraded Ferrari power unit for the first time this weekend.

Both Williams cars were comfortably outside the top ten but often improve on Saturday, however McLaren is unlikely to see such progress after finishing 17th and 18th with Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso respectively. Alonso was almost 3.2s adrift of Rosberg's best time and a little under 1.5s ahead of Will Stevens in the lead Manor.

McLaren's lack of pace will not influence its qualifying result, however, as Alonso faces a drop of 30 grid positions on Saturday while Button will drop 25 places after both received numerous new power unit components this weekend.