Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the charts in the second practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, bouncing back from earlier car troubles to outpace Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
Eventful Start to the Session
Following a first practice session filled with red flags, drivers were eager to get more track time under sunny and warm conditions. A range of runs were completed using Pirelli’s hard, medium, and soft tyres. Despite initial issues with his repaired Ferrari, Leclerc managed to avoid a near miss at Turn 15, though he reported concerns over the car’s condition, describing it as “bent.”
At the same time, Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz brushed the wall at Turn 1, while Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber) and Max Verstappen both had their own scares—Zhou at Turn 3 and Verstappen locking up under braking at Turn 5.
| FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2024 Practice 2 results | |
| Position | Time |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 01:43.5 |
| 2 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | +0.006s |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.066s |
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.466s |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.499s |
| View All Results | |
Sainz Sets the Early Pace
In the early stages, Sainz set the benchmark on medium tyres with a 1m 44.323s, just ahead of Perez, who was also on medium rubber, while Hamilton lagged six-tenths behind on hard tyres. As drivers switched to the soft compound around the 20-minute mark, Sainz improved to 1m 43.950s, holding off Oscar Piastri, Verstappen, Lance Stroll, and Hamilton.
However, Perez soon reclaimed the top spot with a 1m 43.490s, while several drivers, including Verstappen, Sainz, rookie Franco Colapinto, and Leclerc, encountered issues on their hot laps.
Leclerc’s Late Surge
Despite ongoing discomfort in his Ferrari, Leclerc found his rhythm in the final push and delivered a lap of 1m 43.484s to narrowly edge out Perez. Hamilton improved to third, followed by Sainz, Piastri, and Verstappen.
Stroll was the best Aston Martin driver in seventh, with George Russell placing between Haas teammates Nico Hulkenberg and Ollie Bearman after a precautionary engine change.
Midfield Battle and Lower Order
Yuki Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso finished 11th and 12th, while the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Colapinto ended 13th and 14th, ahead of Valtteri Bottas in the Kick Sauber and Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. Lando Norris, hindered by a slow-moving Pierre Gasly, ended up further down the order.
Alpine drivers Gasly and Esteban Ocon struggled in 18th and 19th, with Zhou rounding out the field in 20th.
Looking Ahead
With two practice sessions complete, teams will now analyze the data as they prepare for the third practice and Saturday’s qualifying session, which is scheduled to begin at 12:30 local time, followed by qualifying at 16:00.
