After Max Verstappen set the early pace of the weekend in FP1, Formula 1 returned for the second practice session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix race weekend. In the session, drivers and teams began conducting long runs out on track, working out tyre wear levels and possible strategies for Sunday’s race.
Max Verstappen tops FP2 ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull
The session started with teams conducting long runs early on, testing the supersoft, soft, and medium compound tyres that are available for selection this weekend before moving into qualifying simulations half way through the session. In the final half of FP2, teams once again switched back to long distance running, collecting the required data for the race.
Like FP1, FP2 was riddled with incidents, with over half of the field having an off some point during the session causing yellow flags to be waved throughout. A number of drivers also got very close to the wall, with Esteban Ocon and Felipe Massa brushing the barriers in the session. No other driver got closer to the wall that Jolyon Plamer however, with the Renault driver crashing in the castle section of the street circuit, ending his session and causing the red flags to be deployed.
When the green flags waved again, the action that the session had seen so far continued, with Fernando Alonso stopping out on track with an engine failure and further yellow flags being waved for further offs. Max Verstappen then became the next casualty of the street circuit, crashing in turn 1 at the end of the session.
? In the dying seconds of FP2 @Max33Verstappen slams into the wall at Turn 1 #AzerbaijanGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/pR3ZiRZYXD
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 23, 2017
Despite crashing, Verstappen ended the session as fastest once again after topping FP1 earlier in the day. Verstappen set a best time of a 1:43.362, 0.1 seconds faster than Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas who was second fastest. Verstappen’s team mate, Daniel Riccardo, rounded out the top three in third place, 0.111 seconds off the pace.
The Ferrari pair of Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were next fastest in fourth and fifth place while Force India are continuing to look competitive this weekend, ending the session in seventh and ninth place.
Results from Practice 2 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:43.362
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:43.462
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:43.473
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:43.489
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:43.615
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:44.113
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:44.306
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:44.321
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:44.484
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:44.525
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:44.609
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:45.515
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:45.733
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:45.831
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:46.003
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:46.061
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:46.174
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:47.150
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:47.347
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:47.722
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