Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers delivered a strong performance during the second and faster of today’s two practice sessions for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets and Carlos Sainz securing fourth place. However, the day wasn’t without challenges, as Leclerc crashed into the barriers at Turn 15 during FP1, 30 minutes into the session. The team worked hard to repair his car, though Leclerc lost some track time in FP2 due to a steering issue. Sainz, meanwhile, had a smoother run, accumulating laps and gathering valuable data on the Baku City Circuit, where grip levels were lower than anticipated.
FP1 Recap:
Both drivers began on Medium tyres, with Leclerc setting the fastest time of 1:46.608 before his incident. Sainz switched to Soft tyres after evaluating the track and posted the fifth fastest time, 1:46.173. A combined total of 32 laps were completed—21 for Sainz and 11 for Leclerc.
FP2 Recap:
Again starting on Medium tyres, Sainz switched to Softs after 20 minutes. Despite Leclerc’s steering issue, he managed to run both Medium and Soft compounds in qualifying trim, relying on Sainz’s data for long runs with heavy fuel. Leclerc’s 1:43.484 lap in the closing minutes was the fastest, while Sainz clocked in at 1:43.950, securing fourth. Together, they completed 45 laps—25 for Sainz and 20 for Leclerc.
Driver Quotes:
Charles Leclerc #16:
“The pace was there today, but with the crash in FP1 and the steering issue in FP2, we didn’t complete many laps. It’s crucial to have a smooth FP3 to be fully prepared for qualifying.”
Carlos Sainz #55:
“It was a typical challenging Friday in Baku, with low grip initially and an evolving track. We were slower compared to last year, which made it hard to gauge car balance. But we made progress and I’m confident we can have a good qualifying session tomorrow.
