After Red Bull on Ferrari had set the fastest times during the first practice session, the question was whether these two teams would also call the shots in the second practice session. Mercedes didn’t make too much of an impression earlier in the day at the start of the Azerbaijani race weekend. Lewis Hamilton did not go further than seventh in the first practice, while Valtteri Bottas was stuck in tenth time.
At the start of the second practice, it was raining yellow flags in Baku. Several drivers had a moment where they shot straight somewhere. After fifteen minutes the red flag had to appear, because Nicholas Latifi had come to a stop on the track with a motor problem. Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were leading the times list at the time, after setting lap times low in the 1.43 on medium tires.
After the code red, the Ferrari duo went out on the soft rubber. Sainz went on the red compound to a 1.42.243. Leclerc once again had to give in to his teammate with a 1.42.436. Shortly afterwards, the Monegasque plunged into the plastic track barrier at Turn 15, having just completed a purple first sector. Leclerc was able to return to the pits on his own power after the incident, albeit without a front wing.
After a short virtual safety car for Leclerc sent Sergio Perez his Red Bull to a 1.42.115, with which he climbed to the first place in the times list. Max Verstappen finished in second place with a 1.42.216, only to let it be known over the radio that he was absolutely not happy with the balance in his RB16B. The Dutchman spoke of a difference of day and night compared to the first training.
The teams then shifted their focus to the long runs, which saw Perez finish the session on top and Verstappen in second at the end of the first day. Sainz and Leclerc were well up front on behalf of Ferrari with the third and fourth fastest times. AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly had an excellent start to the weekend with the fifth fastest time, while Fernando Alonso set a fine sixth time with the Alpine. Antonio Giovinazzi, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon and Yuki Tsunoda made up the rest of the top ten.
And Mercedes? Lewis Hamilton did not get further than a 1.43.156 in the second practice, which puts him eleventh on the time screen. “I have no idea where we’re wasting all the time, if I’m honest,” Hamilton said dejectedly to his team. Valtteri Bottas was even further back: sixteenth. The Finn, who went straight twice in the first corner, only left the drivers of Williams and Haas behind in the times list.
The third training session will start in Baku on Saturday at 11 a.m. Dutch time.
Results second free practice Grand Prix of Azerbaijan
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