A difficult Friday for Charles Leclerc in Baku. First he hits the wall with his Ferrari in FP1, but then he ends the day by setting the best time in FP2. There is work to be done to improve the car, but the Monegasque confirms his form on the track that is so friendly to him and looks positively ahead of the Azerbaijan GP.
The victory obtained in Monza and, more generally, the good performance, have given impetus to the Ferrari, who also wants to bring home an excellent result in Azerbaijan. Also aware of the excellent results obtained in the past by Leclerc. However, not everything went smoothly for the Monegasque.
FP1 with a bang
The weekend didn't start in the best way for Leclerc. During the FP1, in fact, at turn 15 he hit the barriers, ending his first session on the track with half an hour to spare. A classic for him if we look back at his weekend history in Baku, where he also boasts a record of pole positions (the two consecutive ones obtained last year are worth remembering).
FP2: Ahead of the thousandths
6 thousandths separate him from a reborn Sergio Perez, but that's enough to allow Charles Leclerc to place himself ahead of everyone in this FP2 in Baku and be positive ahead of the GP.
A tricky afternoon for the winner of the Monza Grand Prix, who began the second free practice session with problems with his car. A five-minute conversation with the track engineer led him to return to the pits. A steering problem that had annoyed Leclerc, who opened up on the radio:
"I think the car is unbalanced. From left to right there is definitely a different stiffness, in terms of stability feedback.”. Who then was categorical: “Guys, I don't drive this car anymore, I go to the pits. It's impossible that it doesn't show in the data".
On a track where you need to get familiar with the layout to be able to push to the maximum, the Monegasque lost precious time. In the end, however, he still recorded the best time: 1:43.484.
Declarations
As his first words to the media microphones after the free practice sessions in Baku before the Azerbaijan GP, Charles Leclerc returns to the dynamics of the accident in FP1:
“There’s not much to analyse. I braked a bit too much on the right, the track was dirty, I went straight, it was too late to turn and I hit the wall. It’s not the best way to start, but I still have confidence in the car and I like the circuit. "
Talking about FP2, he continues:
“At the start of FP2 we had a problem with a new component that was put in the car. We simply took it apart and replaced it. It was not a consequence of the accident and it was not a mistake by the mechanics, they were very good and did a great job.”
Finally, a look at their potential and that of the other teams in view of Sunday:
“We are fast. We didn’t get all the laps we wanted for the program, but we are competitive. We don’t know what the others are doing with the engine and other things. The grid is definitely tight and it will be tough to fight. There is still a lot we can do to improve over the course of the weekend.”
