Practice report
Formula 1 Azerbaijan GP
F1 Azerbaijan GP: Lewis Hamilton tops Ferrari 1-2 as both McLarens hit the wall in FP2
Ferrari drivers Hamilton and Leclerc came to the fore in FP2 for Formula 1's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Lando Norris suffered damage after hitting the wall
Filip Cleeren
Edited: Sep 19, 2025, 1:49 PM
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Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Joe Portlock / LAT Images via Getty Images
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton pipped team-mate Charles Leclerc in second free practice at Baku's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while McLaren title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both struggled.
Ferrari duo Hamilton and Leclerc led the early running and, as rivals struggled on the slippery streets of Baku, the Scuderia stayed on top for the entire session. Leclerc's early soft-tyre lap was bested by Hamilton's 1m41.543s on mediums, perhaps foreshadowing the difficult choice teams face in qualifying between Pirelli's softest C5 and C6 compounds. Those lap times were already one second faster than the morning's FP1 session on a rarely used and therefore rapidly improving street circuit.
After the traditional mid-session lull in the action, some teams returned to the track for longer runs while others chased more one-lap performance before doing so. On his latest soft-tyre run, Lando Norris suffered session-ending damage after clattering the outside wall on the exit of Turn 4, ripping his left-rear track rod out of alignment.
Soon after, Leclerc leapfrogged team-mate Hamilton, going top with a 1m41.367s lap on softs, making most of the 0.176s difference on the flat-out blast towards the finish line in sector three. Piastri then also hit the outside wall in Turn 15, as did several other drivers, but the softer TecPro barrier allowed the championship leader to get away with his glancing blow without damage.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
With under a quarter of the session to go, Hamilton went top once more, this time on the softest tyre compound as he dipped 0.074s below Leclerc's time.
The contact Norris and Piastri made seemed symptomatic of both McLaren drivers struggling to find optimal grip under braking and, in their absence, Mercedes duo George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli slotted into the top four. The Silver Arrows conceded four tenths, with Russell too surviving a brush with the wall.
Ollie Bearman was a surprise fifth for Haas on the scene of his 2024 cameo for the same squad, followed by Italian Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen in the Red Bull. Liam Lawson was a promising seventh for Racing Bulls, followed by the second Haas of Esteban Ocon and the Williams of Alex Albon.
Norris only managed 10th before his contact with the wall, while Piastri could only manage 12th. The Australian championship leader will also be investigated after the session for allegedly failing to slow under yellow flags halfway through the session.
The action continues on Saturday morning with FP3 at 12:30 local Azeri time (GMT+4), followed by qualifying at 16:00 local.
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F1 Azerbaijan GP - FP2 results
Main Information Additional Data Driver Info Driver Info
1
-
4
Main Information Additional Data
1
-
2
Cla Driver # Chassis Engine Laps Time Interval Tyres km/h 1 L. Hamilton Ferrari 44
Ferrari Ferrari 21
1'41.293
S 213.349 2 C. Leclerc Ferrari 16
Ferrari Ferrari 23
+0.074
1'41.367
0.074 S 213.193 3 G. Russell Mercedes 63
Mercedes Mercedes 19
+0.477
1'41.770
0.403 S 212.349 4
A. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes
12 
Mercedes Mercedes 22
+0.486
1'41.779
0.009 S 212.330 5 O. Bearman Haas F1 Team 87
Haas Ferrari 23
+0.598
1'41.891
0.112 M 212.097 6 M. Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1
Red Bull Red Bull 22
+0.609
1'41.902
0.011 S 212.074 7 L. Lawson Racing Bulls 30
RB Honda 22
+0.696
1'41.989
0.087 M 211.893 8 E. Ocon Haas F1 Team 31
Haas Ferrari 23
+0.874
1'42.167
0.178 S 211.524 9 A. Albon Williams 23
Williams Mercedes 24
+0.884
1'42.177
0.010 S 211.503 10 L. Norris McLaren 4
McLaren Mercedes 7
+0.906
1'42.199
0.022 S 211.458 11 C. Sainz Williams 55
Williams Mercedes 24
+0.962
1'42.255
0.056 M 211.342 12 O. Piastri McLaren 81
McLaren Mercedes 23
+1.002
1'42.295
0.040 S 211.259 13 I. Hadjar Racing Bulls 6
RB Honda 23
+1.150
1'42.443
0.148 M 210.954 14 Y. Tsunoda Red Bull Racing 22
Red Bull Red Bull 22
+1.151
1'42.444
0.001 M 210.952 15 G. Bortoleto Sauber 5
Sauber Ferrari 22
+1.268
1'42.561
0.117 M 210.711 16 P. Gasly Alpine 10
Alpine Renault 22
+1.381
1'42.674
0.113 M 210.479 17 L. Stroll Aston Martin Racing 18
Aston Martin Mercedes 24
+1.478
1'42.771
0.097 S 210.281 18 N. Hulkenberg Sauber 27
Sauber Ferrari 22
+1.527
1'42.820
0.049 S 210.180 19 F. Alonso Aston Martin Racing 14
Aston Martin Mercedes 24
+1.674
1'42.967
0.147 S 209.880 20 F. Colapinto Alpine 43
Alpine Renault 22
+2.029
1'43.322
0.355 M 209.159 View full results
Photos from Azerbaijan GP - Practice
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
Azerbaijan GP - Friday, in photos
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