Ferrari leads Friday practice in Baku with improved grip and pace | F1 Azerbaijan GP FP2 review. In FP2 at the Baku Grand Prix, Ferrari topped the timesheets with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showing improved grip and pace.

F1, Baku GP FP2: Ferrari on top finds the right grip

The first free practice session at the Baku Grand Prix offered few indications, with Ferrari finishing third through Charles Leclerc, half a second behind the usual McLaren pace, this time set by Lando Norris. The Maranello team still needs to work on tyre management to optimize the SF-25, a car that remains difficult to handle, particularly through the first two sectors.

Differentiated work for Hamilton and Leclerc

Charles Leclerc began FP2 on a fresh set of Soft tyres, while Lewis Hamilton opted for Mediums. Both drivers focused on warming up properly before pushing for fast laps. The British driver ran wide at turn 1 but rejoined safely using the escape road. The session quickly intensified with the first performance comparisons.

Charles Leclerc completed his opening lap showing a reasonably balanced Ferrari, though improvements were possible in certain corners, such as turn 1. Hamilton struggled more in slow corners, where the car lacked traction, creating the largest gap to his teammate in this section.

The Monegasque driver asked for guidance and compared his data with Hamilton, who was interpreting certain track sections better on Mediums. After a cooldown lap, Leclerc returned to attack, getting closer to the walls and taking more risks. The move paid off: he lowered his time by four tenths and jumped to the top of the standings.

Hamilton increased his pace as well, slotting just behind his teammate with a gap of only 0.15s despite running harder tyres. Engineer Bryan Bozzi advised Charles to refine his third braking phase, the release before applying throttle. On the next lap, Charles Leclerc was slowed by traffic at turn 1, while Hamilton continued pushing, noting a slight oversteer on corner exit.

Lewis completed an excellent lap, gaining two tenths on his teammate. Leclerc made a mid-sector error that forced him to lift off. His SF-25 felt twitchier, requiring multiple steering corrections. Overall, the first stint showed Ferrari more effective on tyres than in FP1, an encouraging sign for the weekend.

Hamilton ended the first part of the session setting the fastest time on Medium tyres. This compound, being stiffer, reduces rotation issues compared to other options. The slightly larger rear tyres offer more traction, shifting the car’s balance rearward, which caused a noticeable oversteer for the British driver on corner exits.

Ferrari one-two in qualifying simulation

The second phase began with Lando Norris hitting the wall, though fortunately no red flag was needed. Leclerc was already on track with a fresh set of Soft tyres, followed a few minutes later by Hamilton. Both made minor errors, lifting off in places, but when Charles completed a clean lap, times improved significantly.

Leclerc lost time exiting turn 16 due to oversteer, delaying throttle application and straight-line speed. Hamilton finished his lap behind his teammate partly due to traffic. Overall, Ferrari showed more grip than in FP1, though minor balance issues persisted, especially in the more technical sections of the circuit.

The second stint ended with another Leclerc lap, interrupted by a noticeable mid-corner correction. Still, the SF-25’s technical base appeared solid, with the chosen direction proving correct. The setup will need fine-tuning to fully exploit the car, but the signs are positive. Both cars returned to the pits and, after a practice start, went back out on track.

Hamilton completed a clean lap, delivering smooth and consistent driving and bringing the tyres to optimal temperature. He positioned himself ahead of Leclerc, receiving praise from engineer Adami. The session continued with high-fuel runs to evaluate the car’s behavior with a full tank.

SF-25 stable in race pace simulation

Charles Leclerc began the race pace simulation on Soft tyres, going out slightly before Lewis Hamilton, who ran Mediums to differentiate the program and collect broader data. The test was short: four laps for Leclerc, three for Hamilton. Speeds dropped, and the SF-25 felt more stable and balanced.

The overall pace was encouraging, although on his third lap, Charles Leclerc made a mistake at turn 16 and had to abort the simulation. Hamilton maintained a pace close to Verstappen, who ran on Softs. Ferrari can be satisfied: FP2 delivered the expected progress in tyre management. FP3 will provide a clearer picture of the performance hierarchy on track.