Charles Leclerc fastest in Baku as Practice Two finishes with Ferrari one-two

Charles Leclerc fastest in Baku as Practice Two finishes with Ferrari one-two. Charles Leclerc fastest in Baku.

Scuderia Ferrari have flexed their muscles in FP2 on Friday afternoon in Baku, as the Italian team topped the timesheet with a Charles Leclerc-led one two with the session stopped twice because of a red flag.

It was a very busy session at the Baku City Circuit, with the cancellation of FP1 leaving the teams with a lack of data. As soon as the light turned green at the end of the pitlane, the entire grid went out for laps.

What caught the eye immediately is the number of lock-ups. Almost every driver ran wide at some corner or needed the run-off area to slow down. This could be because of set-up errors due to a lack of practice in FP1, or it could be because of tricky track conditions.

Scuderia Ferrari instantly took the lead in the session, with both Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel sparring for the number one position. The former eventually set the best time, however, with a 1:42.872 proving the best time of the day.

Sebastian Vettel followed three-tenths behind, and Mercedes couldn’t even get within six-tenths. Lewis Hamilton ended in P3, with Max Verstappen wedging his Red Bull between the two Mercedes cars late as he ended P4.

Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 Results

1. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari 1m42.872s
2. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari + 0.324s
3. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 0.669s
4. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.921s
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 1.131s
6. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.305s
7. Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team + 1.311s
8. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.344s
9. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 1.368s
10. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 1.423s
11. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 2.029s
12. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 2.494s
13. Sergio Perez MEX SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 2.564s
14. Kimi Raikkonen ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 2.610s
15. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team + 2.611s
16. Romain Grosjean FRA Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 2.746s
17. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team + 3.845s
18. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 5.003s
19. Robert Kubica POL ROKiT Williams Racing + 5.239s
20. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing no time