Friday in Baku: Red Bull dominates, problems for Hamilton and Mercedes

In the first free practice session, the track was crowded, an image that has been seen more often lately due to the shortened practice sessions. Lando Norris was the first to hit the track, followed by Sergio Perez. Max Verstappen waited a bit longer: he came out on the track after ten minutes for his installation lap.

The tone was set by Ferrari: Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were the first to set a fast lap and briefly led the timesheet. These times were soon improved by Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. They did so on the softest tyre, while Verstappen was two tenths of a second behind on the medium compound.

Norris losing control

With twenty minutes to go Norris was on a fast lap, being the fastest in the first two sectors. In the third sector, however, he lost control of the car and spun, but managed to avoid a crash. Hamilton and Gasly also shot straight in the same session, but they all managed to continue their session.

In the final stages of the first practice session Verstappen was hampered by Esteban Ocon, and later by Nikita Mazepin. The Dutchman was clearly not happy about this, and complained about his colleagues on the radio.

Mercedes and Ferrari surprise in different ways

Mercedes surprised by driving around in the midfield, and could not impress on track until the end. This in contrast to Ferrari, who seemed fast throughout the session with both drivers. They completed the top three: Verstappen was the fastest, followed by Leclerc and Sainz. Perez also did well with a fourth time.

Red flag in the second free practice session

The second practice session had a bumpy start, with several drivers shooting straight. Nicholas Latifi caused a red flag because he couldn't drive his car back to the pits due to technical problems.

When the session resumed it was again Ferrari that impressed: Sainz set the fastest time, followed by Leclerc. The latter was on a fast lap when he braked and hit the wall in turn fifteen. The damage was limited to the front wing.

Also in VT2 a strong Red Bull and Ferrari, but disappointing Mercedes

Perez took the fastest time. He was followed by Verstappen, who set the second fastest time by one tenth. Sainz completed the top three.

The surprising factor was again Mercedes, who in the second free practice with both drivers did not manage to make the top ten. Hamilton finished eleventh, Bottas sixteenth. However, it is expected that the team will be able to solve most of the problems before qualifying on Saturday.