It was a positive second free practice for Mercedes, who finished with their drivers on P1 and P2. According to Paul Di Resta, the team shouldn't cheer too early, because even though Max Verstappen finished behind both cars on P3, Red Bull Racing is fast.

"Mercedes felt they were behind, but they did everything they could to neutralise that deficit," Di Resta told Sky Sports' camera. Verstappen was fastest in the first practice session, but Mercedes clocked the fastest time in the afternoon. It's a surprising result, as Verstappen dominated all sessions last weekend. However, the long runs on the Dutchman's mediums did look better.

Softer tyre a benefit for Mercedes

Pirelli introduced softer tyres for this weekend, to ensure different strategies and hopefully an exciting race. According to Di Resta this is an advantage for Mercedes: "On the medium compound Red Bull seemed to have the better pace, on the softer tyre the advantage lies with Mercedes."

According to Di Resta, Red Bull hasn't shown everything yet today. "Red Bull haven't shown the back of their teeth yet. It's going to be exciting again this weekend. You can see Verstappen as the favourite, but you can't write Mercedes off. Mercedes are not giving up, this deficit has driven them out of their comfort zone, but slowly they are coming back."