Leclerc & Ferrari block out off-track turmoil to top second practice session in Malaysia

[p]The 28-year-old Monegasque driver, who had spoken out in support of Vasseur on Thursday, clocked a best lap of one minute and 37.528 seconds to outpace [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hadjar-isack/8SAk38Ui/"]Hadjar[/a] by 0.099 seconds in an uneventful session run in sweltering conditions.[/p][p]World champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Lando Norris[/a] of McLaren recovered from a disappointing 12th place in the opening run to take third ahead of four-time champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Max Verstappen[/a] in the second Red Bull, seven-time champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Lewis Hamilton[/a] in the second Ferrari, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piastri-oscar/MqKAIeUf/"]Oscar Piastri[/a] in the second McLaren.[/p][p]The two heavily upgraded Mercedes of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]George Russell[/a] -- who won in Baku last Sunday -- and championship leader [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/antonelli-andrea-kimi/ptGu0mT1/"]Kimi Antonelli[/a] were seventh and eighth, ahead of Racing Bulls' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lawson-liam/nap8RjeO/"]Liam Lawson[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gasly-pierre/nqYFMBBf/"]Pierre Gasly[/a] of Alpine.[/p][embed guid="aefbf20e-9450-46b8-983b-654aa67bce80" url="https://x.com/F1/status/2105948340974449096" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Slithering and sliding[/h2][p]The session ended under a Virtual Safety Car deployment after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bortoleto-gabriel/8zwcIVil/"]Gabriel Bortoleto[/a]’s Audi stopped on the track with a transmission failure, the only incident as the drivers intensified their efforts on a dusty, low-grip surface in F1's first visit to Malaysia since 2017.[/p][p]It was clear by the frequent slithering and sliding that tyre degradation was a factor and will be in Sunday's race, when Verstappen will seek to repeat his victory of nine years ago which came just 24 hours after his 20th birthday.[/p][p]After a busy interval during which team bosses Flavio Briatore and Vasseur were involved in a news conference, the second session began with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ocon-esteban/nZKY1D4O/"]Esteban Ocon[/a], due to leave Haas at the end of the year, leading out from the pit lane.[/p][p]It was a rapid departure as the teams sought maximum track action before what seemed to be an impending rainstorm. The track temperature was 60 degrees Celsius.[/p][p]As he did in the opening run, Verstappen was soon topping the times with 1:37.785 on mediums ahead of Russell and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/leclerc-charles/KlCOSRub/"]Leclerc[/a], whose Ferrari boss had called for team unity in the face of speculation about his future. Vasseur has been at the centre of speculation since former Red Bull boss Christian Horner described Ferrari as a "dream job" in a recent interview.[/p][h2]A much-needed boost for Vasseur[/h2][p][b]"Honestly, the big issue we have today is the stability and serenity in the team,"[/b] said Vasseur.[/p][p][b]"It is a focus that we need to have - and not this kind of question all day."[/b][/p][p]In reaction to comments by Hamilton on Thursday urging Ferrari to review their structure, Vasseur added:[b] "It would be a huge mistake to start (and) to not be unified...[/b][/p][p][b]"We had a good beginning of the season, for sure. It's not enough. We want to get more; we want to win more. We want to win the championship."[/b][/p][p]As if on cue, Leclerc went top on softs ahead of Hadjar and a revived Norris mid-session.[/p][embed guid="e34e1f05-7ef2-4df5-a774-5c39ddccac5c" url="https://x.com/ScuderiaFerrari/status/2105956141650137372" social-type="twitter" /][p]Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Hamilton was struggling to match his pace and inadvertently baulked Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi, causing him to swerve to avoid him.[/p][p]The incident was noted by the stewards, while Hamilton reported on team radio that he could not see out of his right-side mirror.[/p][p]Further back, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/colapinto-franco/GzFqySBA/"]Franco Colapinto[/a] - fresh from his crash in Baku - was nearly six seconds adrift of the pace in 22nd for Alpine.[/p][p]His team chief Briatore had told reporters that the storm last Sunday was now history.[/p][p]"Sure, I was disappointed when it happened, but it's another race and everyone forgets, you know?" he said.[/p][p]"We need to keep looking to the future. The past is the past, and nothing can be done."[/p][p]Colapinto faces a 15-place grid penalty for the Baku crash and for taking another new engine.[/p][p]Hadjar will drop five places for taking a new power unit, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lindblad-arvid/bgk1rl5a/"]Lindblad[/a] moves to the back row with a 30-place penalty for having a new engine, turbo and exhaust.[/p]