What the teams said – Thursday in Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice sessions in Baku saw mixed fortunes for the teams. Mercedes dominated the timesheets with George Russell topping both sessions, while Kimi Antonelli recovered from a hydraulics issue to secure second in FP2. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen maintained a strong pace, finishing in the top three during both sessions, though teammate Isack Hadjar faced initial gearbox challenges before showing promise later in the day. Ferrari had a relatively smooth day, focusing on race preparation as they aim to bridge the gap to Mercedes, while McLaren navigated reliability concerns, including bodywork and brake issues, leaving them with work to do overnight to unlock further pace. The session was also challenging for rookies, with Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad causing a red flag after a crash, and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto gaining valuable experience on the street circuit. Elsewhere, Williams and Haas continue to analyze new upgrade packages despite some technical interruptions, and Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll prepared for upcoming grid penalties by taking new power unit components. Pirelli reported that track conditions were particularly dirty, necessitating significant effort from teams to manage tyre warm-up, though degradation levels remained low, pointing toward a likely one-stop strategy for the race.