Max Verstappen flies in messy training in Baku

This article was last updated on April 28, 2023

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Introduction

The much-discussed new sprint race format weekend started with a disrupted practice session and surprises at the Baku City Circuit. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the timesheets in the only free practice session ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez. However, it was Nyck de Vries who grabbed the attention with a stunning sixth place for the struggling Williams team.

Practice session

The one free practice session was the only chance for the teams to prepare for the difficult street circuit in Azerbaijan, which meant there was no room for errors or mishaps. Unfortunately, things took a chaotic turn after only fifteen minutes when Pierre Gasly’s Alpine caught fire, Yuki Tsunoda had an off, Carlos Sainz crashed into the wall, and Kevin Magnussen also went off. The session was suspended for ten minutes while marshals extinguished Gasly’s blazing car before resuming with additional time added.

Verstappen wasted no time and set the pace as soon as the session resumed, but Leclerc and Perez looked strong contenders throughout the session. Fernando Alonso had to watch on as his Alpine had technical problems.

Verstappen’s time tightens

The Red Bull driver scored the fastest time in the frantic session with a 1:43.184, beating Leclerc’s second-placed Ferrari by two-tenths of a second. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, while AlphaTauri’s Gasly, who missed most of the session with his car fire, finished fifth. The impressive Nyck de Vries, who replaced George Russell for this race weekend, finished sixth, giving Williams a morale boost ahead of the French Grand Prix.

Qualifying to follow

With Verstappen setting the pace in the practice, it looks like Red Bull and Honda are in formidable shape for qualifying and the 51-lap Azerbaijan GP on Sunday. However, the one-off qualifying format could throw up a surprise, will it be Leclerc?, Perez or Hamilton?