Max Verstappen demonstrated his prowess in a chaotic opening practice session for the 2024 Azerbaijan GP, topping the timesheets amid incidents for Charles Leclerc and Franco Colapinto.
The Baku City Circuit which is known for its tight corners and high-speed straights, presented a challenging environment for the drivers with grip levels fluctuating significantly throughout the session.
Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull Racing, clocked a fastest lap of 1:45.546, edging out Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton by a comfortable margin of 0.313 seconds. The performance was particularly crucial for the reigning world champion, who has been on a six-race winless streak, as he seeks to regain momentum in the championship race.
The session began under challenging conditions, with rain earlier in the day affecting the grip levels on the track. Drivers approached the session with caution, gradually building their pace.
Verstappen initially set the pace on medium tires with a time of 1:47.214, but it was not long before the first red flag was waved due to debris on the track at Turn 12. This stoppage lasted for about five minutes as marshals cleared the circuit.
Once the session resumed, Verstappen quickly found his rhythm, lowering his time to 1:46.858. However, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari soon eclipsed that time, setting a benchmark of 1:46.608 on the same medium tires.
Unfortunately for Leclerc, his session took a turn for the worse when he crashed into the wall at Turn 15 after losing control of his car. The impact damaged the front right corner of his SF-24, bringing out the red flags for a second time and ending his session prematurely.
With 26 minutes remaining, the session resumed, and many drivers switched to the soft compound tires, which are crucial for achieving competitive lap times. Hamilton quickly climbed to the top of the timesheets with a time of 1:45.859, but the excitement was short-lived as the red flags were waved once more.
This time, it was Franco Colapinto from Williams who crashed at Turn 4 after losing control of his car and slamming into the wall. The session was halted for the third time to clear the wreckage.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez delivered a solid performance finishing third in the session, just 0.376 seconds off the benchmark time. The Red Bull team appeared to have made significant improvements to their RB20 car, particularly with a new floor geometry aimed at addressing previous balance issues.
Both drivers expressed optimism about their performance, with Verstappen noting that the team learned valuable lessons during the practice and felt more competitive than in recent races.
The McLaren team had a mixed day with Lando Norris finishing fourth after struggling to find pace. The Brit who is currently second in the championship standings found himself hindered by traffic and could not complete a fast lap on the soft tires.
His teammate, Oscar Piastri, finished sixth, indicating that while McLaren is competitive, they still have work to do to challenge the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari effectively. The Aussie finished behind Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who posted the fifth fastest time showcasing the team’s potential to be in the mix for podium finishes.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso capitalized on the session’s chaos to secure a seventh-place finish ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in eighth, while Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top ten.
The session also saw the return of young talent Oliver Bearman stepping in for Kevin Magnussen, who was serving a one-race suspension. Bearman impressed by finishing 11th ahead of his teammate Nico Hülkenberg in 12th.
However, the session was less favorable for Alpine, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon struggling to find form, finishing 18th and 19th respectively. Ocon’s session was particularly disappointing, as he failed to set a timed lap due to a power loss early on.
As the teams regroup for the second practice session, the focus will be on refining setups and addressing the issues that arose during FP1.
