Leclerc tops FP2 ahead of Perez and Hamilton in Azerbaijan
Charles Leclerc emerged as the fastest driver during the second practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, overcoming various car issues to beat Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
The session began in bright and warm conditions, with drivers eager to make up for lost time following a red flag-filled first practice. Several drivers, including Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, faced early challenges. Sainz brushed the wall at Turn 1, while Zhou Guanyu of Kick Sauber and reigning world champion Verstappen both had near-miss incidents, adding to the session's drama.
Leclerc, who encountered early concerns about his repaired Ferrari, narrowly avoided a crash at Turn 15 and expressed frustration: “The car is bent somewhere," followed by an exasperated, “it’s impossible.”
On medium tyres, Sainz initially led the timings with a lap of 1m 44.323s, closely followed by Perez and Hamilton, who trailed by six-tenths on the hard compound. As drivers transitioned to soft tyres around the 20-minute mark, Sainz improved his time to 1m 43.950s, placing him ahead of Oscar Piastri, Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Hamilton, and Perez.
McLaren's Lando Norris looked set for a fast lap but had to back off due to the slow-moving Pierre Gasly, who later apologized, citing battery issues.
Perez briefly took the top spot with a 1m 43.490s, while replays highlighted more incidents involving Verstappen, Sainz, rookie Franco Colapinto, and Leclerc. Despite the ongoing discomfort with his car, Leclerc managed to set the session's fastest lap at 1m 43.484s during the final push, edging out Perez and Hamilton.
Sainz, Piastri, and Verstappen rounded out the top six, with Stroll as the fastest Aston Martin in seventh. George Russell's precautionary engine change saw him place between the Haas drivers Hulkenberg and Ollie Bearman. Yuki Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso finished in 11th and 12th, respectively.
Williams drivers Alex Albon and Colapinto secured 13th and 14th, while Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, and Norris completed the top 17. Alpine suffered a tough session, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who received a new power unit, ending in 18th and 19th. Zhou Guanyu finished at the rear.
With two practice sessions completed, teams now turn their focus to analyzing data in preparation for FP3.
Stay tuned for more updates from Azerbaijan as the teams refine their strategies and drivers aim to get an edge before qualifying.
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