After a week off, the teams are back on track to tackle the Azerbaijan street circuit, one of the most unpredictable stages of the season. This weekend marks the start of a double-header street circuit, with Singapore coming up the following week, which will test the teams both technically and strategically. Let's see what happened in FP1 of the Baku GP, the 17th round of the 1 Formula 2024 world championship.
A crucial opportunity for Ferrari and McLaren
For Ferrari, expectations are high after the spectacular victory of Charles Leclerc in Monza. The Maranello team arrives in Baku with the aim of confirming its good moment and consolidating its position in the standings, on a circuit that has often given satisfaction to the Prancing Horse in the past. The biggest obstacle that Leclerc and Ferrari in general will have to face is qualifying, which plays a decisive role here.
McLaren is also eager for redemption, after having seen a possible victory slip away in Italy, transformed instead into a third place for Lando Norris and a second for Oscar Piastri. The English team will aim to exploit its superiority in qualifying, even if the hierarchies at home are not yet clear. Both Oscar and Norris glimpse the possibility of fighting for the drivers' championship but McLaren is called upon to make a choice if it wants to actually have this chance.
Red Bull looking for answers
Red Bull, on the other hand, arrives in Azerbaijan aiming to return to the podium, after a disappointing weekend in Monza, where neither Max Verstappen nor Sergio Perez managed to place in the top three. The Austrian team will have to resolve the balance issues that have compromised recent performances, trying to return to competitiveness at a crucial stage in the title fight.
Oliver Bearman's Second Chance
In Baku, there is also a lot of attention for Oliver Bearman, a young F2 talent who will replace Kevin Magnussen for the entire weekend due to the Dane's disqualification for accumulating too many points on his super license. For Bearman it will be the second opportunity to race in an official Grand Prix, after his debut in Jeddah with Ferrari. The opportunity to run all the free practice sessions, qualifying and race will be of great help in preparing for the next season in which he will officially take part in the Formula 1 grid.
What happened in FP1 of the Baku GP, between red flags and accidents
But now let's get to the action on the track. Everyone goes out on the medium compounds except for the two Alpines that go out on the hard compounds. The first timed laps see Max Verstappen leading Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. In the meantime, after two laps, Ocon comes into the pits reporting a power problem that forces him to stay out for the entire session. The challenge was interrupted almost immediately by a first red flag, to allow the marshals to remove some debris on the track. A constant we have come to know in Baku.
When the session resumed, Charles Leclerc further lowered his times and took the lead again. In the meantime, Lance Stroll sent a clear message to Aston Martin: this year's car is not up to par, with Newey they will have to do better to truly compete with the top teams.
After 30 minutes the session is interrupted again, this time for a different reason. Charles Leclerc on a flying lap stops and ends up in the wall. A significant damage but it shouldn't have too many repercussions on the rest of the weekend since we are still in FP1. In Baku we are very close to the limit, and Charles has often reminded us of the risks of this.
With the barriers restored and Charles Leclerc's car removed, the track is back on. The two McLarens take to the track with the soft tyres, as does Perez. With the softer compound, the two McLarens take the lead in the standings. The track continues to improve and this time it is Lewis Hamilton who stands out, again with the soft.
Another lap, another red flag, this time caused by Franco Colapinto. The young Williams driver, who arrived in Monza after Logan Sargeant was excluded, hits the car against the wall a few minutes after the removal of the red flag caused by Leclerc. Another interruption that does not allow the drivers and teams to collect much data.
Last 10 minutes, the final standings with Hamilton first
The session resumes for the final 10 minutes. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri take to the track with the medium tyres, Hamilton continues with the soft, along with Max Verstappen who stays within 36 thousandths of the 7-time world champion's time, managing to catch up at the end of the session.
The session ends like this, with the first 6 drivers within 7 tenths of each other:
Verstappen (soft compound)
Hamilton (soft compound)
Perez (soft mix)
Norris (medium compound)
Sainz (soft compound)
Plates (medium mix)
