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By Liam Scott | Staff Writer with Agencies
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – Lewis Hamilton led a Ferrari one-two in the second free practice session (FP2) for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, narrowly outpacing teammate Charles Leclerc by just 0.074 seconds on the challenging streets of Baku. While the Italian team shone, McLaren endured a disastrous session marked by crashes and potential penalties.
Hamilton, continuing his impressive form with Ferrari, set a fastest lap of 1’41.293 over 21 laps, confirming the strong pace of the red car around the city circuit. Leclerc, always quick in Baku, stayed within striking distance, signalling positive momentum for the team ahead of qualifying.
Mercedes also showed promising pace, with George Russell finishing third and rookie Kimi Antonelli close behind in fourth, locking out the top four positions with relatively small margins.
The standout performance of the session came from Oliver Bearman, who put his Haas an impressive fifth on the timesheets, even beating Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, who finished sixth, struggled to find the ideal setup and rhythm, ending the session over six-tenths off the pace.
#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 | Lewis Hamilton reflects on practice day:
“It really has [been a positive day], thank the Lord! It started out not so positive, FP1 was a bit of a mess. This is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence on the brakes and I had some problems with the… pic.twitter.com/ipF5OPkjvr
— deni (@fiagirly) September 19, 2025
McLaren’s Troubles
It was a session to forget for McLaren. Lando Norris suffered a heavy crash at Turn 4, which significantly damaged his car and forced him to retire early after completing just seven laps. To make matters worse, Oscar Piastri, who also brushed the wall but was able to continue, finished a lowly 12th and is under investigation by race stewards for allegedly failing to respect yellow flags following his teammate’s incident.
Full Results and Outlook
The rest of the grid delivered a mix of expected performances and surprises. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) finished seventh, followed by Esteban Ocon (Haas) in eighth and Alexander Albon (Williams) in ninth. Norris, despite his crash, still managed to cling to tenth position.
The session confirmed that the battle for pole position and victory on Sunday promises to be tightly contested. Ferrari and Mercedes appear strong, Red Bull is still searching for optimal performance, and Haas emerged as a pleasant surprise. Teams now turn their attention to final practice and qualifying on Saturday, where the true pecking order will be revealed under the intense pressure of the Baku City Circuit.
1) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’41.293 – 21 voltas
2) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’41.367 (+0.074s) – 23
3) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’41.770 (+0.477s) – 19
4) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’41.779 (+0.486s) – 22
5) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’41.891 (+0.598s) – 23
6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Honda RBPT), 1’41.902 (+0.609s) – 22
7) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT), 1’41.989 (+0.696s) – 22
8) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’42.167 (+0.874s) – 23
9) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’42.177 (+0.884s) – 24
10) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’42.199 (+0.906s) – 7
11) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), 1’42.255 (+0.962s) – 24
12) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’42.295 (+1.002s) – 23
13) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT), 1’42.443 (+1.150s) – 23
14) Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull/Honda RBPT), 1’42.444 (+1.151s) – 22
15) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber/Ferrari), 1’42.561 (+1.268s) – 22
16) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Renault), 1’42.674 (+1.381s) – 22
17) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes), 1’42.771 (+1.478s) – 24
18) Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber/Ferrari), 1’42.820 (+1.527s) – 22
19) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes), 1’42.967 (+1.674s) – 24
20) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Renault), 1’43.322 (+2.029s) – 22