Vettel fastest after second free practice at Monza

Sebastian Vettel was the quickest after the second free practice session at Monza. Red Bull and Ferrari were the pace setters at the end of the session with the German leading the pack ahead of Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

With Jenson Button having topped the morning session, in the afternoon session McLaren seemed almost untouchable. Throughout the second practice Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were three quarters of a second faster than everyone else.

Driving low on fuel and on soft tyres, Red Bull and Ferrari drivers were able to take the McLaren’s away from the lead.

Massa was the first to get ahead of the McLaren’s but he was soon to see his time beaten by Vettel. Alonso then topped the standings, but the German responded with another best lap with the time of 1m22.8s.

The Brazilian’s session ended up earlier as he had the time for a little scare. On the final corner of the Monza circuit Massa seemed set to beat Vettel’s time but he got a wheel off track and went for a ride on the gravel, just keeping his Ferrari out of the wall.

During the afternoon training session McLaren opted to test the differences between the cars with or without the F-duct system. Button drove his car with the system, ending in fourth. Without the F-duct Lewis Hamilton was just behind him in fifth. The device was also removed from the Toro Rosso’s cars.

After the afternoon practice Mark Webber lied in sixth place having struggled in the morning session to follow the pace of other drivers. On the afternoon he saw his hopes of improving his time blow away when the team ordered him to stop his car on track due to a loss of water pressure.

Robert Kubica was the eighth fastest in the second free practice between the two Williams of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg, with Nico Rosberg's Mercedes closing the top ten.