Due to the less-than-ideal track conditions, there were few reliable references. Piastri consistent, surprise Perez
At the end of the second free practice session, it’s time to assess the on-track performance from this afternoon: Charles Leclerc set the fastest time, although it was recorded towards the end of the session, with a much more rubbered-in track. Just 6 thousandths behind was an impressive Sergio Perez, who was right in front of Lewis Hamilton. Lando Norris did not complete his lap after a strong first sector due to a dangerous misunderstanding with Pierre Gasly.
As a first factor, we must consider that this is the first time in its history that the Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held in September, after taking place at the end of April in 2023 and even in June in 2022. Therefore, the different temperatures and track conditions will need to be taken into account throughout the weekend.
For this Grand Prix, Pirelli has chosen the three softest tire compounds available: C3, C4, and C5. In 2023, all drivers opted for a one-stop strategy, using medium and hard tires; in 2024, a similar situation is likely, although, as mentioned, the temperatures and track conditions will be different. The track appeared very slippery and dirty, resulting in low grip.
Race pace analysis FP2 Baku: here are the times from this afternoon.
From this afternoon’s times, there were few reliable references: the track appeared very slippery and in suboptimal conditions, with expected times being more than 4 seconds faster. Therefore, the only aspect that can be analyzed is consistency in the various segments, with a detailed performance analysis to be deferred to tomorrow.
The first to carry out the race simulation was George Russell, who chose to go out of phase compared to the others, performing the long run before the qualifying run. The English driver chose the hard tire, the only one to make this choice along with his teammate Lewis Hamilton. His times were very good in the initial phase but then increased quite rapidly.
Red Bull will certainly be back in the fight for this race: Checo Perez has shown strong form both in qualifying and race simulation, and he will aim to secure his third win on Azerbaijani soil. On the other side of the garage, Max Verstappen seemed to be struggling with engine performance, as much of the delay was accumulated in the third sector, which consists almost entirely of the long straight.
Oscar Piastri was also very consistent, initially completing 4 laps within 15 thousandths of a second, before his times also increased significantly, reaching up to 1:50. His teammate and main rival to Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, was a bit slower. However, Norris had a challenging session, dealing with an impeding incident with Gasly during his fast lap, followed by traffic and a few off-track excursions during the race simulation.
Carlos Sainz also had a positive session, appearing strong both in qualifying and in the race simulation, which he concluded on an upward trend, repeating what was seen in the previous race at Monza. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc had a more challenging afternoon. Following the crash this morning, he lost an additional 20 minutes of the session due to a steering issue. As a result, despite setting the fastest time, Leclerc did not have enough time for a complete race simulation.
Regarding the midfield, it’s definitely worth noting the positive session of Oliver Bearman, in his first full weekend in Formula 1. On a familiar track, the young British driver was very close to his teammate Nico Hulkenberg in qualifying and executed a very solid and consistent race simulation, with times consistently around 1:50 and improving in the final laps.
PHOTO: Scuderia Ferrari HP, GPKingdom.
