George Russell dominated the second practice session on Thursday ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing the fastest time at the Baku City Circuit. Russell, who also set the pace during the first practice session, finished with a time of 1m 43.347s using Pirelli’s soft compound tyres, placing him half a second ahead of his Mercedes teammate and championship leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes Pace and Red Bull Challenges
The session began at 1600 local time with air temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius. Most drivers initially utilized hard or medium tyres to establish benchmarks. Max Verstappen, a four-time World Champion, initially posted a 1m 45.115s before complaining via radio about a poor ride, stating, I’m constantly counter-steering because my rear axle is coming off the ground
according to Formula 1. Verstappen eventually improved to 1m 44.492s on medium tyres, narrowly beating Russell’s time on the same compound.
As the session shifted toward Qualifying-style simulations on soft tyres, Russell maintained his lead. He first recorded a 1m 43.759s, leading Verstappen by roughly four tenths, before ultimately lowering his time to the session-best 1m 43.347s. Antonelli, who lost an hour of track time due to a stoppage in FP1, finished second with a 1m 43.899s, leaving Verstappen in third place with a 1m 44.174s.
Incidents and Red Flags
The session was interrupted just under 20 minutes in by a red flag caused by rookie Arvid Lindblad. The Racing Bulls driver crashed into the wall at the Turn 8/9 castle section, causing significant right-hand side damage to his vehicle. Lindblad, who also crashed during the previous FP2 in Madrid, apologized over the radio, stating, I think I literally clipped it by like a millimetre
according to Formula 1.
Following the restart at 1629 local time, further technical issues occurred. Ollie Bearman’s Haas suffered an engine failure, which Bearman described by saying, My engine switched off and just… broke
. Fernando Alonso's running was also restricted due to a suspected oil leak in his Honda power unit.
Field Standings and Steward Investigations
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, placed sixth in a McLaren that utilized plastic cable ties as a makeshift fix for floorboard issues encountered in FP1. Norris abandoned a lap that had initially seen him post a personal best in sector two and the fastest time of all in sector one.
The FIA stewards will investigate Lewis Hamilton following the session. This follows complaints from Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who described Hamilton’s driving as dangerous
after encountering the slow-moving Ferrari in the kink leading to the main straight, according to crash.net.
The bottom of the timesheets were occupied by the Aston Martin drivers. Both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso will start from the back of the grid because they are taking fresh engines.
FP2 Final Top 10 Results
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:43.347 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:43.899 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:44.174 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:44.473 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:44.665 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:44.831 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:44.843 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:44.857 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:44.868 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:45.290 |
Teams will analyze data overnight before returning for the final hour of practice on Friday, scheduled to begin at 1230 local time.
Related reading
