Charles Leclerc, Sergio Pérez’s fastest in P2 after Red Bull topped the standings in P1; Mercedes struggles as Lewis Hamilton finishes the 12th live training session on Sky Sports F1 at 12:00 on Saturday, and qualifying will continue from 14:00.
Last updated: 10/06/22 16:35
Charles Leclerc was the fastest in the second training sessions of the Azerbaijani GP
Charles Leclerc denied Sergio Pérez a training double from the Azerbaijani GP as Ferrari beat the two Red Bulls in the second session on Friday, while Mercedes’ fights continued in Baku.
In a lap of practice 1, Leclerc led Pérez by a quarter of a second, with world championship leader Verstappen a tenth behind as drivers faced difficult conditions on the ventilated street circuit.
Fernando Alonso took advantage of Carlos Sainz’s failure to complete his last two laps to fly in fourth place ahead of Alpine’s second Ferrari, while Pierre Gasly was sixth for AlphaTauri.
George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, but teammate Lewis Hamilton finished 12th after a torrid day during which the seven-time world champion Silver Arrow seemed to fight harder than most with a strong rebound. the straight lines.
Verstappen entered the second session with concern for his rear wing, which seemed to bend excessively in the first hour of action, and was understood to have caused complaints from other teams.
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Sergio Pérez lost control of his Red Bull in the first lap of the Baku City Circuit during the second training sessions.
Sergio Pérez lost control of his Red Bull in the first lap of the Baku City Circuit during the second training sessions.
The Dutchman had to wait more than 10 minutes to get off the track in P2, while Red Bull continued to work on his car, and the team finally decided to reflect the configuration of Pérez’s car, which had not experienced the same problem in P1.
While Red Bull was working in the garage, Leclerc had already climbed to the top of Ferrari’s time sheets, although his lead time – at that stage – seemed to have been helped by a streak of Nicholas Latifi’s Williams on the local straight. .
Verstappen finally hit the track and showed signs of promise as he approached a tenth of Leclerc, but as all the cars switched to soft tires in half a session, the Monegasque proved his pace was genuine.
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Leclerc leaves the track at turn 7 during the second training sessions of the Azerbaijani GP.
Leclerc leaves the track at turn 7 during the second training sessions of the Azerbaijani GP.
Leclerc, who is looking to finish a four-run streak without a win, improved by half a second more and clocked a time of 1: 43.224, which was ultimately out of reach for the two Red Bulls.
Sainz’s second Ferrari looked capable of challenging, but the Spaniard made a flying lap with a blockade before his next attempt was stopped by yellow flags after Pérez left the track.
That trip off the Pérez circuit was one of several that was seen throughout the day, as the drivers struggled to control the new 2022 F1 cars on the very challenging street circuit, which mixes tight curves with stretches of ‘high speed.
More to follow …
Azerbaijan GP training time sheet
Pilot Team Time 1) Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1: 43.224 2) Sergio Perez Red Bull +0.248 3) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.356 4) Fernando Alonso Alpine +0.918 5) Carlos Sainz Ferrari +1.050 6) Pierre Gasly Alpha Tauri +1.091 7 ) George Russell Mercedes +1.324 8) Yuki Tsunoda Alpha Tauri +1.343 9) Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.385 10) Lando Norris McLaren +1.547 11) Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin +1.557 12) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +1.650 13) Lance Stroll Aston Martin + Lance 1,650 14) Daniel Ricciardo McLaren +1,835 15) Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo +1,891 16) Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo +2,040 17) Kevin Magnussen Haas +2,364 18) Alexander Albon Williams +3,173 19) Latifi Williams +2,173 Haas +2,040 Haas + 2,040 Mick Williams Schuma) +3,994 …