There was heavy rain between the first and second practice sessions, which meant FP2 began with a wet track. That, in turn, meant it was a very quiet start with only Valtteri Bottas braving the slippery conditions. It wasn't until halfway through that the first lap times were set, by the Toro Rosso boys, and only after that did the top runners venture out of the garage.

As the track began to dry out and times tumble, we saw both Nico Hülkenberg and Jenson Button at the top of the timesheets. Lewis Hamilton attempted to make it two in a row but was kept off the top spot by Fernando Alonso. Ferrari finished with one car fastest and the other in the garage with a gearbox problem.