Verstappen tops the time sheets in FP1

Max Verstappen has ended the first practice session in Baku on top. The Dutchman set a lap time of 1:44.410. Red Bull set its fastest times on the super soft tyre while the two Ferrari's and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton set their times on the soft tyre.

Daniel Ricciardo followed his teammate in P2 with a lap time that was almost half a second slower. Former Red Bull man Sebastian Vettel ended up in third place but set his fastest lap on the soft tyre, which is relatively slower than the super soft.

Sergio Perez popped up into fourth position but will have his session overshadowed by a hefty crash. The Mexican appeared to carry too much speed into the entrance of the narrow turn 8 and hit the wall, with the right rear tyre worryingly detaching itself from the car.

Perez's teammate Esteban Ocon ended the session in seventh, as the Frenchman comes to terms with the Baku circuit which he is driving for the first time. Sandwiched in between the two Force India were the two Mercedes' of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, who's fastest laps claimed fifth and sixth respectively.

Felipa Massa was eighth in his Williams, while the other Martini sponsored vehicle of Lance Stroll was eleventh. The second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen also set his fastest lap on the slower soft tyre and ended up in P9, while Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat completed the top 10.

The two Haas cars followed Stroll in eleventh, as Kevin Magnussen settled into twelfth and Romain Grosjean planting himself into thirteenth. Grosjean was once again heard complaining about his brakes which have been giving him trouble for much of his time at Haas.

Nico Hulkenberg was fourteenth, ahead of the McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne. Both McLaren's seemed to get through the session without any major issues, as Vandoorne and teammate Fernando Alonso set 42 laps between them. Alonso's fastest time put him in P17. 

Lodged between the two McLaren was Carlos Sainz, who has a penalty hanging over his head for this weekend's race. The Spaniard made contact with Romain Grosjean in Canada which put Sainz in a spin and sent him catapulting towards Felipe Massa. Both men retired and Sainz received a three-place grid penalty which will be applied to his finishing position in tomorrow's qualifying session. 

Jolyon Palmer was eighteenth, ahead of the two Sauber's of Pascal Wehrlein and Marcus Ericsson who completed the field. Practice two in Baku comes at 14:00 UK time, which is 17:00 local time.

Fergal Walsh

AZ Baku City Circuit - 23 June 2017

Replies (1)

Login to reply
  • I expect RB's pace to falter as the weekend goes on, but looking good to stay ahead of Force India

    • + 0
    • Jun 23 2017 - 12:54

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Red Bull Racing
  • Points 3,453
  • Podiums 127
  • Grand Prix 235
  • Country NL
  • Date of b. Sep 30 1997 (28)
  • Place of b. Hasselt (Belgie), NL
  • Weight 70 kg
  • Length 1.8 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar