FP1: Verstappen tops the charts as Leclerc and Colapinto crash in Baku

Max Verstappen showcased his mastery in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by setting the fastest lap, while Charles Leclerc and Franco Colapinto both faced early exits due to crashes.

Leclerc, who had clinched victory in Italy and previously secured pole position at Baku for the past three years, demonstrated promising pace early on with medium tyres. However, his session took a tragic turn as he clipped the dirt approaching Turn 15, leading to a collision with the wall. This incident brought out the red flags, marking an abrupt end to his session with 30 minutes remaining.

Given the temporary nature of Baku's street circuit, grip levels were notably low, making it difficult for drivers to find their footing initially. As the session progressed and drivers switched to the soft C5 tyres, Verstappen emerged as the quickest, clocking a time of 1m 45.546s. This was 0.313s faster than Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who slotted into second place.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, secured third place, trailing by 0.376s. McLaren’s duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, also put on impressive performances, placing fourth and sixth respectively. Splitting the McLarens was Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, taking the fifth position.

Fernando Alonso placed Aston Martin in a positive light by securing seventh place, just ahead of George Russell from Mercedes and Leclerc, who did not complete a run on the soft tyres. Daniel Ricciardo rounded off the top ten, showing a strong pace, a second quicker than his Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who faced significant bouncing issues.

Stepping in for Kevin Magnussen, who was banned for one race for exceeding penalty points, Ollie Bearman showcased impressive speed for Haas. The 19-year-old Briton outperformed Nico Hulkenberg, finishing 11th. Lance Stroll expressed his dissatisfaction with his Aston Martin’s balance, ending up 13th, while Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas recovered from an early off to finish 14th.

Williams’ Franco Colapinto, in only his second FP2 session, displayed commendable speed but couldn’t maintain control, crashing at Turn 4. This incident caused the session’s third red flag. Colapinto ended up 16th, narrowly ahead of teammate Alex Albon, who had a minor off-track moment but avoided the barriers.

Alpine faced a challenging session with Pierre Gasly in 18th and Esteban Ocon failing to set a timed lap. Ocon encountered a power loss early in the session, which forced him to pit and prematurely end his practice as the team investigated the issue.

As the first practice concludes with Verstappen leading, teams and drivers will look to adapt quickly to Baku’s treacherous conditions for a smoother session next time.

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