Practice report

F1 Azerbaijan GP: Lewis Hamilton tops Ferrari 1-2 as both McLarens hit the wall in FP2

Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc came to the fore in FP2 for Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Lando Norris suffered damage after hitting the wall

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton pipped team-mate Charles Leclerc in second free practice at Baku's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while McLaren title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both struggled.

Ferrari duo Hamilton and Leclerc led the early running and, as rivals struggled on the slippery streets of Baku, the Scuderia stayed on top for the entire session. Leclerc's early soft-tyre lap was bested by Hamilton's 1m41.543s on mediums, perhaps foreshadowing the difficult choice teams face in qualifying between Pirelli's softest C5 and C6 compounds. Those lap times were already one second faster than the morning's FP1 session on a rarely used and therefore rapidly improving street circuit.

After the traditional mid-session lull in the action, some teams returned to the track for longer runs while others chased more one-lap performance before doing so. On his latest soft-tyre run, Lando Norris suffered session-ending damage after clattering the outside wall on the exit of Turn 4, ripping his left-rear track rod out of alignment.

Soon after, Leclerc leapfrogged team-mate Hamilton, going top with a 1m41.367s lap on softs, making most of the 0.176s difference on the flat-out blast towards the finish line in sector three. Piastri then also hit the outside wall in Turn 15, as did several other drivers, but the softer TecPro barrier allowed the championship leader to get away with his glancing blow without damage.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

With under a quarter of the session to go, Hamilton went top once more, this time on the softest tyre compound as he dipped 0.074s below Leclerc's time.

The contact Norris and Piastri made seemed symptomatic of both McLaren drivers struggling to find optimal grip under braking and, in their absence, Mercedes duo George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli slotted into the top four. The Silver Arrows conceded four tenths, with Russell too surviving a brush with the wall.

Ollie Bearman was a surprise fifth for Haas on the scene of his 2024 cameo for the same squad, followed by Italian Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Liam Lawson was a promising seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by the second Haas of Esteban Ocon and the Williams of Alex Albon.

Norris only managed 10th before his contact with the wall, while Piastri could only manage 12th. The Australian championship leader will also be investigated after the session for allegedly failing to slow under yellow flags halfway through the session.

The action continues on Saturday morning with FP3 at 12:30 local Azeri time (GMT+4), followed by qualifying at 16:00 local.

F1 Azerbaijan GP - FP2 results

1 - 2
Cla	Driver	#	Chassis	Engine	Laps	Time	Interval	Tyres	km/h
1	L. Hamilton Ferrari	44	Ferrari	Ferrari	21	1'41.293		S	213.349
2	C. Leclerc Ferrari	16	Ferrari	Ferrari	23	+0.074 1'41.367	0.074	S	213.193
3	G. Russell Mercedes	63	Mercedes	Mercedes	19	+0.477 1'41.770	0.403	S	212.349
4	A. Antonelli Mercedes	12	Mercedes	Mercedes	22	+0.486 1'41.779	0.009	S	212.330
5	O. Bearman Haas F1 Team	87	Haas	Ferrari	23	+0.598 1'41.891	0.112	M	212.097
6	M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing	1	Red Bull	Red Bull	22	+0.609 1'41.902	0.011	S	212.074
7	L. Lawson Racing Bulls	30	RB	Honda	22	+0.696 1'41.989	0.087	M	211.893
8	E. Ocon Haas F1 Team	31	Haas	Ferrari	23	+0.874 1'42.167	0.178	S	211.524
9	A. Albon Williams	23	Williams	Mercedes	24	+0.884 1'42.177	0.010	S	211.503
10	L. Norris McLaren	4	McLaren	Mercedes	7	+0.906 1'42.199	0.022	S	211.458
11	C. Sainz Williams	55	Williams	Mercedes	24	+0.962 1'42.255	0.056	M	211.342
12	O. Piastri McLaren	81	McLaren	Mercedes	23	+1.002 1'42.295	0.040	S	211.259
13	I. Hadjar Racing Bulls	6	RB	Honda	23	+1.150 1'42.443	0.148	M	210.954
14	Y. Tsunoda Red Bull Racing	22	Red Bull	Red Bull	22	+1.151 1'42.444	0.001	M	210.952
15	G. Bortoleto Sauber	5	Sauber	Ferrari	22	+1.268 1'42.561	0.117	M	210.711
16	P. Gasly Alpine	10	Alpine	Renault	22	+1.381 1'42.674	0.113	M	210.479
17	L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing	18	Aston Martin	Mercedes	24	+1.478 1'42.771	0.097	S	210.281
18	N. Hulkenberg Sauber	27	Sauber	Ferrari	22	+1.527 1'42.820	0.049	S	210.180
19	F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing	14	Aston Martin	Mercedes	24	+1.674 1'42.967	0.147	S	209.880
20	F. Colapinto Alpine	43	Alpine	Renault	22	+2.029 1'43.322	0.355	M	209.159
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