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The first day of running at the 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP is done and dusted, and we end FP2 with Charles Leclerc at the top of the standings. The day featured multiple stoppages in FP1 and cars struggling with PU issues.
FP1 had Esteban Ocon sitting out of the entire session due to a PU issue while George Russell spent most of the day in the pits with not much running until the end of the day. In the end, Charles Leclerc finished at the top of the standings, ahead of the likes of Sergio Perez (P2) and Lewis Hamilton (P3).
The track in Baku offers unique challenges, and sometimes it's very hard to find the right balance between the car having too much downforce in the middle sector or too little down the straights. As the first day of running at the F1 Azerbaijan GP comes to an end, what did we learn from FP1 and FP2? Let's take a look.
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2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP FP1 and FP2: Key Takeaways
#1 Red Bull is on the pace
Whether it's the upgraded floor, which has been termed as a 'patchwork' by the team, or it is just the track layout, something appears to have clicked because the Red Bull RB20 looks formidable on the track. The driver who looks most formidable is surprisingly Sergio Perez, who might be running a higher fuel mode but ended the session competitively.
Max Verstappen is perhaps not as comfortable as his teammate but the overall consensus appears to be that Red Bull should have a better result in the F1 Azerbaijan GP.
#2 Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have a suboptimal start to the race weekend
The crash in FP1 was Charles Leclerc's fault. The bent car at the start of FP2 was the team's fault. Overall, it was a comedy of errors that cost Charles crucial lap time.
The bottom line still remains that Ferrari looks good around Baku, especially with Charles behind the wheel. The F1 Azerbaijan GP surely has a contender if Leclerc can keep the car on track.
#3 George Russell plagued with reliability issues as Mercedes is a step behind
George Russell had a less-than-optimal day as he spent most of his sessions in the garage. The power unit issues meant that the driver couldn't extract much from the FP sessions.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, appeared to have things in control and had a decent run as well as finishing in P3. The Mercedes has also started the F1 Azerbaijan GP race weekend on a positive note and where it can take things from here will be interesting to see.
#4 McLaren is keeping the cards close to the chest
McLaren is arguably one team that has continued to keep a veneer on what it can do with the machinery. Oscar Piastri had a compromised run, Lando Norris' run on the soft was blocked by Pierre Gasly and neither of the two truly lit up the timesheets either.
Unless McLaren is struggling at the F1 Azerbaijan GP and this is all that the team has to show, one could expect the team to throw the sandbags away tomorrow and get kicking.
#5 Ollie Bearman is the real deal
Ollie Bearman ended FP2 just behind Nico Hulkenberg and for Haas, there have not been better sights this season. The rookie, who is going to take over at the team, has the pace already on the first session and that should make Ayao Komatsu a little prouder because he's backed Ollie.
The young British driver has all the makings of becoming a superstar one day and every session everyone is going to keep an eye on where he is with respect to Hulkenberg.
