Russell puts Mercedes back on top in Miami second practice with Hamilton not far off

George Russell put his revived Mercedes team back on top of the Formula One timesheets with the fastest lap in second practice for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Friday (6 May).

In a boost for the champions who have wrestled with a 'porpoising' car in the first four races, the Briton was 0.106 of a second faster than Ferrari's overall leader Charles Leclerc.

Russell's impressive time of 1minute29.938 seconds made Mercedes look more competitive than they have so far this campaign.F1 WRAP | 2022 Miami GP: Russell tops 2nd Practice, Hamilton P4 while Verstappen has car trouble

Leclerc had been 0.071 quicker than the Briton in the opening session with a lap of 1:31.098.

Solid day but it’s tomorrow and Sunday that count. The work never stops. ?? pic.twitter.com/qLrqi5txX1

Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen, who was third in first practice, failed to set a time in the second session after his car suffered an hydraulics problem and the brakes overheated.

"He's had a horrible day," said team boss Christian Horner. "It's frustrating not to have that track time."

His Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was third fastest in practice two.

Leclerc and Verstappen have each won twice this season, with the Ferrari man 27 points clear of the Dutch 24-year-old whose efforts have been undermined by mechanical problems and retirements.

Mercedes have brought new parts in the hope of unlocking performance and first impressions were of clear improvement, with the car in a low-drag setup and looking faster without bouncing.

Max Verstappen feeling the (Miami) heat! ??The Dutchman suffered a brake fire and steering troubles, cutting his second practice session short ??#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/FA2NDO8ZOy

Russell's seven-times world champion team mate