Red Bull had the top practice times as Mercedes finished out of the top ten.
BAKU, Azerbaijan—Red Bull’s success on Monaco street circuit two weeks ago may not have been a one-off. The team met the challenge again on Friday in the streets of Baku during practice sessions in advance of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez topped the timesheets, with Perez having the fastest time of 1:42:115. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took third.
Mercedes’ problems carried over from Monte Carlo as Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas placed 11th and 16, respectively, in the afternoon session.
Verstappen on Friday (photo, XPB Images)
As in Monaco, Baku’s street circuit continued to be a problem for most of the drivers, particularly for Williams driver Nicolas Latifi, who stalled his engine between sectors two and three, which produced a virtual safety car and finally a red flag with just over 48 minutes left in the second session.
Minutes later, Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari into the barriers at turn 15, which brought out the second virtual safety car. Leclerc backed up the car and returned to the pits, minus his front wing, which was dislodged when he struck the barriers.
Despite that problem, Leclerc still managed to take fourth for the afternoon session, while Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly finished an impressive fifth. Alpine placed two drivers in the top ten with Fernando Alonso (sixth) and Esteban Ocon (ninth). Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi, who is improving in the quest to save his driving seat, was seventh, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth. Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top ten.
The weather is predicted to be warmer during qualifying and race days, with increasing winds forecast for Sunday. Unfortunately, that means weather could be a major challenge at this already tough circuit.
