The Formula 1 race in Azerbaijan could once again be a close affair. A Ferrari driver is the fastest in practice.
Monza winner Charles Leclerc can also hope for success in the Formula 1 race in Baku. After an accident at the start, the Ferrari driver set the fastest time on the first day of practice in Azerbaijan. Second, just six thousandths of a second behind, was last year's winner Sergio Pérez in the Red Bull, ahead of Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton. World champion Max Verstappen had to settle for sixth place in the daily standings. The Red Bull driver has been waiting six races for another victory.
In the first practice session, the 26-year-old world championship leader set the fastest lap. However, there were three interruptions due to accidents and debris on the track. Just a few minutes after the start of the practice laps, race control switched the lights back to red because there were car parts on the track.
Shortly afterwards, Leclerc crashed his Ferrari into the barriers and was unable to continue. The third forced break followed when Williams youngster Franco Colapinto lost control of his car and caused the next accident.
McLaren can take the lead in the world championship
The second practice session was then accident-free. Because the teams focused on race preparation and experimented with different tires and fuel quantities, the results are only of limited significance.
Ahead of the 17th of 24 races of the season on Sunday (13:00), Dutchman Verstappen leads the championship by 62 points from British McLaren driver Lando Norris. McLaren could already take the lead in the constructors' championship in Azerbaijan. The traditional British team is eight points behind defending champions Red Bull.
