World Champion Max Verstappen drove the fastest lap in the only free practice session before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Dutchman steered his Red Bull around the Baku Street Circuit in 1:42.315 minutes on Friday. Second place on the demanding street circuit went to Vice World Champion Charles Leclerc from Monaco in a Ferrari, just 0.037 seconds behind. Third place went to Mexican Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. The only German, Nico Hülkenberg, finished 15th in the Haas racing car, more than two seconds behind.
Gasly-Heck catches fire
The practice session was turbulent. After just under fifteen minutes, the rear of Pierre Gasly’s Alpine was on fire. The Frenchman had to get out and watch as helpers put out the fire. It quickly seemed unlikely that the mechanics would get the car running again in time for qualifying in the afternoon. This threatens the 27-year-old in the race on Sunday (1 p.m. / Sky) from the very back.
The one-hour training session was interrupted for around 13 minutes because of the incident. Kevin Magnussen also had to park his Haas early due to technical problems. The Japanese Yuki Tsunoda touched the concrete wall with a rear wheel, suffered a flat tire and had to pit in the meantime.