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The opening day of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix concluded with unexpected results.
At the end of Friday’s second free practice session, it was the Ferrari drivers who topped the timesheets. The highlight came when Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap, edging out his teammate Charles Leclerc – a four-time pole-sitter in Baku – by just 0.074 seconds.
Close behind were the Mercedes drivers, with George Russell narrowly beating his young teammate Kimi Antonelli by only 0.009 seconds to secure third place. One of the day’s biggest surprises came from Haas: Oliver Bearman outpaced Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to finish among the top positions. His teammate Esteban Ocon also delivered a solid performance, finishing eighth, just behind Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls). Rounding out the top ten were Alex Albon (Williams) and Lando Norris (McLaren).
It is worth noting that McLaren, aiming to secure the Constructors’ Championship in Baku, struggled compared to the first session. Both Norris and Oscar Piastri made contact with the walls, with Norris’ incident being more serious. As a result, McLaren’s mechanics face an intense overnight job to prepare the car in time for Saturday’s sessions.
Thus, the first day of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix came to an exciting close, leaving fans eager for even more intense action in tomorrow’s sessions.
