First crash for Leclerc, then best time

Racing Bulls: Still some work to be done

Yuki Tsunoda also had no fun, as he struggled with bounce in FT2. He reports: “It started out pretty difficult, but we made good progress between FT1 and FT2.”

However, that is still “not enough to be at the top of the midfield,” he stresses, explaining: “We just need to work on fine-tuning and fix the bounce I had in FT2.”

Teammate Daniel Ricciardo also had a “mixed” day. FT1 went “well”, but in FT2 the changes did not work as hoped. At least: “We know what worked this morning and were in a good position.”

“If we also use our FT1 setup and try to get a little more out of it, we will be fighting in the front midfield with a good lap in qualifying tomorrow,” he hopes.

Ricciardo finished the day in P16, Tsunoda in P11.

Albon: So it's not fun

The Williams driver sums up after P13: “It was a difficult day. We were not very happy with the way the car behaved. We will make some changes and if we make the right decisions, I think we will make a good step forward.”

“The track is very sensitive, grip is low and the tyres overheat very badly. Pirelli has set the pressures very high, so you can't afford to slide with the car, otherwise the tyre will be damaged very quickly,” he explains.

“It's not fun, but that's the same for everyone. At the moment we don't have top-10 pace, but we can definitely see a lot tonight and then I think we won't be too bad,” said Albon.

Sainz not completely fit

After P4 today, the Spaniard revealed: “My neck is not at 100 percent. Also, I think I slept really badly last night and I can hardly move.” He is therefore happy that he was able to “survive” the day.

He will not make any predictions from a purely sporting perspective, “because no one has put together good laps,” he believes, and explains that the true balance of power will probably only be seen in qualifying.

“I think it will be extremely close and it will be about preparing the tires, putting a lap together, being in the right place on the track at the right time,” said Sainz.

Because here in Baku there could be a yellow or even red flag at any time during qualifying.

Horner criticised Newey’s ‘premature’ presentation

Since we're talking about Red Bull: Aston Martin's presentation of Adrian Newey didn't go down particularly well with Christian Horner. The Briton is particularly annoyed by the timing, as Newey is still under contract with the Milton Keynes team for almost half a year.

Horner therefore has his own opinion about the specially convened press conference on Tuesday: “Of course it was a big announcement from Aston, and Adrian has always tended to do his own thing,” says the Briton.

“They decided to celebrate it perhaps a little prematurely before he finished his contract with Red Bull Racing. But it was obviously a big moment for this team,” Horner said of the Newey announcement.

You can find his complete statements here!

Perez: Going in the right direction

The Mexican, meanwhile, had perhaps his best Friday and explained: “It was definitely a good, solid day. I think there are some good fundamentals. We made good progress from FT1 to FT2.”

He missed the best time of the day by just 0.006 seconds and expects to be among the frontrunners tomorrow. So far, the weekend has definitely been “promising”.

When asked if he could fight for pole, he replied: “I think anything can happen tomorrow. So we just have to keep a cool head and deliver some great laps.”

In any case, things are “going in the right direction,” says Perez.

Alpine: Are currently the slowest

P18 and P19 today for Gasly and Ocon, and Gasly makes it clear: “We are behind and still have a lot of work to do tonight. We will try to give it our all because at the moment we are the slowest car out there.”

It was “the most difficult Friday of the year” for Alpine, said the Frenchman, who explained: “We simply have no grip at the moment.” And then there was the scene when Lando Norris quickly crashed into the back of his car in FP2.

“I was planning to slipstream Lando as he was coming from behind and then I had a battery problem in the esses, probably at the worst possible time,” Gasly explained the situation.

Norris doesn't blame him either and explains that it “probably wasn't his fault.” At least that's a small consolation on a rough day.

Bearman: Better equipped than in Jeddah

Meanwhile, Magnussen's replacement explains: “I'm really happy with how the day went and how I finished it. I made a good step from FP1 to FP2 and felt comfortable with the car.”

He said he was “much better positioned” than at his debut in Saudi Arabia, because he only got in the car on Saturday. “It's the first time I'm driving the whole weekend,” he recalled.

It was also “encouraging” that he did not finish far behind his teammate. At the same time, however, he also made it clear: “I am concentrating on myself. And the encouraging thing is that I have confidence in the car.”

Let’s see what’s possible in qualifying tomorrow.