Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Perez leads first free practice as Baku tests pace and setup

Mexican Sergio Pérez of Red Bull, who has taken victories on the streets of Monaco on two occasions, set the fastest lap in the opening free practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday. The eighth round of the Formula 1 World Championship unfolded on the Baku city circuit, where Spaniard Carlos Sainz for Ferrari and Fernando Alonso for Alpine were also in action, contending for top positions in the early session.

In a best-of-21-lap run, Pérez clocked the quickest time on the 6,003-meter street circuit, stopping the clock at 1 minute, 45.476 seconds. He finished 0.127 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc, who was back in action with Ferrari. Behind them, Max Verstappen, the current World Cup leader, completed the session in third place, while both Sainz and Leclerc were chasing the same objective: to optimize the car setup for the long main straight and the challenging first two sectors with the right balance of downforce and speed. All runners used soft compound tires for the session.

Sainz, who ended the day in fifth in the standings, accumulated a total of 83 points after this first practice, with Verstappen leading on 42 and Pérez close behind with 27. The Baku layout features the championship’s longest straight, roughly 2.2 kilometers, which attracts teams aiming to tune downforce for speed on the straight while maintaining grip through the tighter corners. The goal remains to extract maximum pace on the straight while preserving stability through the initial two sectors, a balancing act that defines setup choices in this track.

The 27-year-old Madrid driver, clocking 1:46.012, finished 0.536 seconds behind Pérez. He commented on his performance and noted that he had previously won this circuit at Monaco, hinting at renewed confidence as the season continues. In the same breath, it was announced that his Red Bull contract extension would keep him with the team through 2024, reinforcing the confidence between driver and squad as they push for a championship challenge.

Fernando Alonso, at 40 years old, completed 21 laps on the championship’s third-longest track, trailing the leaders by about a second and a half in his best lap. The Asturian two-time world champion matched his competitive pace with the rest of the field, adapting to the 26-degree ambient and 43-degree asphalt conditions typical for Baku in this phase of the weekend. His late-race resurgence for the session echoed the ongoing battle at the front, with Verstappen and Leclerc among those contending for position as the session drew to a close.

The second free practice is scheduled to begin at six o’clock in the afternoon local time, four hours into the peninsular European day (14:00 GMT).

Timeline of the first free practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

1. Sergio Pérez MEX Red Bull 1:45.476

2. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 0.127

3. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 0.334

4. Carlos Sainz ESP Ferrari 0.536

5. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 1.095

6. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 1.191

7. Yuki Tsunoda JPN Alpha Tauri 1.220

8. George Russell GBR Mercedes 1.229

9. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 1.354

10. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 1.441

11. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 2.215

12. Lance Stroll CAN Aston Martin 2.371

13. Kevin Magnussen DIN Haas 2.470

14. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 2.492

15. Valtteri Bottas FIN Alfa Romeo 2.602

16. Zhou Guany u CHN Alfa Romeo 2.746

17. Alexander Albon THA Williams 2.943

18. Daniel Ricciardo AUS McLaren 3.334

19. Nicholas Latifi CAN Williams 5.445

20. Mick Schumacher GER Haas 12.856