Verstappen brushes off oil leak scare after topping FP2

Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB14.

Max Verstappen said that he didn't have any worries about the reliability of his RB14 heading into this weekend's German Grand Prix.

He was forced to pit for half an hour at the end of the second free practice session on Friday afternoon after reporting problems with downshifting. The engineers traced the problem to a minor oil leak which was quickly repaired.

"We lost a few laps due to a small oil leak this afternoon," he confirmed. "But this was quickly fixed. I managed to get a few laps in at the end of the session to make sure everything was fine."

Prior to the scare, Verstappen had already posted what had proved to be the fastest time of the day - 1:13.085s, a new track record for the Hockenheimring.

"A pretty good Friday," he agreed. "The tight parts of the track, sectors 1 and 3, feel good and I think our pace shows in these areas.

"We have a good balance with the car which shows by topping FP2," he said. "It was a nice surprise to start so competitively here. But we have to remember it is only Friday - the others will be quicker for qualifying

"Certainly a better than expected start," he agreed. "We are looking competitive ahead of tomorrow.

Verstappen finishes Friday fastest ahead of Mercedes and Ferrari

"I haven’t had a chance to do a proper long run yet but the feeling is good for now," he added. "Let’s hope we are in a similar position or at least close tomorrow.”

Today's session was held in hot and sunny conditions, which is expected to be the same for the race on Sunday. But Saturday could see heavy rain and thunderstorms affecting the day's track activity.

"We need to wait and see how the weather is going to behave as this could have a big impact," Verstappen agreed.

Verstappen's team mate Daniel Ricciardo also proved his pace by topping FP1. However he had a subdued afternoon session after the team confirmed that power unit changes would incur penalties that mean he will start from the back on Sunday.

“The pace was pretty good today," said Ricciardo. "This morning I was quick and Max was fastest this afternoon while I focussed on long runs.

"We are looking quite good but obviously, I will be starting somewhere down at the back on Sunday due to the engine penalties.

"I’m actually pretty excited to come through the field and have a bit of fun," he insisted. "For me it will be satisfying, and for everyone watching it should be pretty fun as well."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.