BAKU: Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed and then went fastest in practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday while champions Red Bull found some speed again after a disappointing run of results.

Leclerc, winner of the previous round in Italy and on pole for the past three years in Baku, bounced back with a late lap of one minute 43.484 seconds to lead second practice after missing half of the first session when he hit the wall.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, a two times winner in Baku and the driver with the best record around the city circuit, was a mere 0.006 slower.

Perez’s team-mate and Formula One leader Max Verstappen had been fastest in the three-times halted first practice session with a lap of 1:45.546 on the chequered flag, but dropped to sixth in the later one and complained of understeer.

Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton ended the day third fastest for Mercedes, 0.066 off the pace, after setting the second best time in opening practice.

Red flags were waved in practice one — first for a marshal to collect debris and then after separate crashes involving Leclerc and Williams’ Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto.

Leclerc went into the wall at turn 15 with 33 minutes remaining, the Monegasque taking too much speed into the corner and locking up.

Colapinto also hit the barriers, at turn four with 18 minutes to go, with the back end snapping around and smacking the wall.

The Argentine was starting his second race weekend after replacing dropped American Logan Sargeant until the end of the season.

That session resumed with 11 minutes remaining and ended with Verstappen fastest at the finish as the team’s floor upgrade appeared to be paying off as Red Bull seek to recover their early season form.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen’s closest title rival but 62 points behind the Dutch driver with eight rounds remaining, was fourth fastest in practice one and 17th in the second after looking quick but was then blocked by Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

British teenager Oliver Bearman made his Haas debut as replacement for suspended Kevin Magnu­ssen, lapping 11th fastest and 0.162 quicker than team mate Nico Hulk­enberg in practice one.

Bearman was 10th in the second session, with Hulkenberg eighth.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon reported a loss of power early on, with his first session ending early. The Frenchman was 19th in the later stint.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024