Recovering from an early FP1 crash, Charles LeClerc set the pace during free practice 2 ahead of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton with only 0.066s separating the three drivers at the end of the session as teams and drivers ran simulated qualifying runs in anticipation of tomorrow evenings knockout qualifying session.
Drivers were keen to jump back on track after the early afternoons interrupted running as all three tire compounds saw usage during the second hour of practice. LeClerc, despite being quickest, wasn’t out of trouble as Ferrari responded to reports from the Monegasque driver that “the car is bent somewhere” as he narrowly avoided a duplicate moment to FP1 in turn 15. Despite the concerns, no data indicated any issues and LeClerc was forced to put aside his doubts as he set the quickest time at the end of the session, slotting his Ferrari ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull by 0.006s.
HIGHLIGHTS: Relive the action from FP2 as Leclerc goes fastest in Baku
Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz had another strong session, putting his Ferrari 4th on the timesheets despite a brush with the wall on the exit of turn 1 as he led the way mid-way through the session on the medium compound tires. Max Verstappen also had a moment of his own as the dusty track proved to be a headache for many, nearly hitting the barriers in turn 5 after locking up on entry to the corner.
Oscar Piastri led the session for McLaren as he ended his afternoon 5th on the time sheet ahead of Lance Stroll and the very strong Haas of Nico Hulkenberg in 8th place. George Russell ended 9th quickest after a strong FP1 and Oliver Bearman put his Haas into tenth after just missing out in FP1 – another strong showing for the young driver. Further down the order, Alex Albon and rookie Colapinto put their William’s machines into 13th and 14th as Alpine and Kick Sauber brought up the rear of the field after another lackluster performance.
Friday’s running is concluded and with that teams will regroup for tomorrows final practice ahead of the evenings qualifying session. Tune in live at 12:30 local time to catch everything live.
Free Practice 1 Report: CLICK HERE
FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN 2024 Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (Local Circuit) |
| Sept. 13th | Practice 1 | 13:30 – 14:30 |
| Practice 2 | 17:00 – 18:00 | |
| Sept. 14th | Practice 3 | 12:30 – 1:30 |
| Qualifying | 16:00 – 17:00 | |
| Sept. 15th | Race | 15:00 |
Free Practice 2 Results:
Pos | No | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:43.484 | 20 | |
2 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:43.490 | +0.006s | 23 |
3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:43.550 | +0.066s | 22 |
4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:43.950 | +0.466s | 25 |
5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 1:43.983 | +0.499s | 25 |
6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:44.029 | +0.545s | 24 |
7 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:44.093 | +0.609s | 24 |
8 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:44.475 | +0.991s | 24 |
9 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:44.536 | +1.052s | 16 |
10 | 50 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | 1:44.547 | +1.063s | 24 |
11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:44.645 | +1.161s | 24 |
12 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:44.683 | +1.199s | 25 |
13 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:44.737 | +1.253s | 25 |
14 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 1:44.749 | +1.265s | 23 |
15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:44.785 | +1.301s | 24 |
16 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 1:45.056 | +1.572s | 26 |
17 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:45.156 | +1.672s | 25 |
18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:45.391 | +1.907s | 22 |
19 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:45.810 | +2.326s | 24 |
20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:45.947 | +2.463s | 25 |
