LEWIS HAMILTON LEADS FORMULA 1 FREE PRACTICE 2 AT BAKU AS NORRIS CRASHES OUT
Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in the second practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading a Ferrari 1–2 ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Lando Norris’ afternoon came to an abrupt end after contact with the barriers.
Hamilton clocked a 1m41.293s lap to finish 0.074s clear of Leclerc. The McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri endured a difficult session, placing only 10th and 12th respectively after struggling for pace.
The one-hour session began with several drivers testing the limits of the tricky Baku City Circuit. Liam Lawson went wide at the downhill Turn 15, while Hamilton also ran deep at Turn 7 in the early stages.
After sitting out much of FP1 due to a power unit issue, Piastri was one of the first out on track in FP2. Running on soft tyres, he briefly went quickest with a 1m43.307s, though that time was quickly beaten as the track conditions improved and drivers switched to the softest Pirelli compound.
Norris, who had led FP1, initially went fastest with a 1m42.199s before Leclerc dipped under the 1m42s barrier with a 1m41.786s. Hamilton then moved to second before jumping to the top on medium tyres with a 1m41.543s around the 20-minute mark, potentially giving teams a strategic dilemma ahead of qualifying.
Norris’ session unraveled halfway through when he clipped the wall exiting Turn 4, damaging his left-rear suspension. Although he managed to nurse the car back to the pits, he took no further part. Moments later, Piastri brushed the Tecpro barrier at Turn 15 and returned to the garage for checks before resuming.
Leclerc later regained top spot with a 1m41.367s, only for Hamilton to respond with a 1m41.293s on soft tyres in the closing stages, the fastest lap of the day.
Behind the leading duo, Mercedes’ George Russell was third, just under half a second adrift, followed by his teammate Kimi Antonelli, Haas rookie Ollie Bearman, Max VerstappeN, and Lawson.
Esteban Ocon ensured a strong showing for Haas in eighth, ahead of Alex Albon, Norris, and the second Williams of Carlos Sainz. Piastri ended up 12th and faces a post-session investigation for a possible yellow flag infringement. He was followed by Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
The order was rounded out by Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Franco Colapinto, who was two seconds off the pace.
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