F1, Charles Leclerc’s weekend gets off to a bad start in Baku

Max Verstappen the best in FP1, crash for Charles Leclerc

It's a far from positive start for Charles Leclerc in the weekend that will culminate on Sunday with the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan, on the city circuit of the capital Baku: the Monegasque, in fact, ended up against the wall in his FP1, an impact at moderate speed from which the driver è emerged apparently without a scratch but which caused visible damage in the front right area of his Ferrari.

The session è was interrupted for the next red flag (the second of the three exposed during the morning, the other two for debris on the track before and for the impacta wall of Franco Colapinto of Williams), going however to conclude after the canonical 60 minutes under green flag, with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) author of the best time, 1:45.546.

The Dutchman was ahead of Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, +0.313), Sergio Perez (Red Bull, +0.376) and Lando Norris (McLaren, +0.481). Fifth position for the first of the two Ferraristi, Carlos Sainz, whose best time è was 627 thousandths slower than that set by Verstappen.

These are the other drivers with their relative gaps, from sixth position onwards: Oscar Piastri (McLaren, +0.736), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin, +0.906), George Russell (Mercedes, +0.970), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari, +1.062), Daniel Ricciardo (RB, +1.141), Oliver Bearman (Haas F1 Team, +1.427), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas F1 Team, +1.589), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin, +1.638), Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber, +2.094), Yuki Tsunoda (RB, +2.162), Franco Colapinto Williams, +2.355), Alexander Albon (Williams, +2.409), Pierre Gasly (Alpine, +3.166), Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber, +3.506). No fastest lap for Esteban Ocon (Alpine).