Leclerc crashes as Verstappen heads opening practice in Azerbaijan

Max Verstappen topped the times for Red Bull ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in Friday’s crash-marred opening free practice at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

The three-time world champion and series leader clocked a best lap in one minute and 45.546 seconds in the final seconds of a stop-start-stop session of frequent interruptions on a difficult, dirty surface to outpace the seven-time champion by 0.313 seconds.

On a cloudy morning with rain threatening on the Baku street circuit, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set an early marker lap before Hamilton, his teammate next season, went top. 

A red flag interruption to clear metallic debris from the circuit caused a delay but on resumption, Leclerc again went well until he slid wide at Turn 15 and hit the barriers, prompting a second red-flag intervention.

Leclerc, a three-time Baku pole-sitter, walked away unhurt from the collision but his car incurred damage to the front right section.

The Ferrari mechanics should have it fixed by the second practice session but it was clearly a setback for Leclerc. 

“I took the dirt on the outside,” he said as he sat out the remainder of the session. 

A third red flag with 17 minutes to go was triggered when Williams new boy Franco Colapinto smacked the wall at Turn Four, sliding in sideways. 

In a demonstration of some recovery from their recent poor form, Red Bull were further boosted by Sergio Perez taking third place, ahead of title-chasing Lando Norris of McLaren, Carlos Sainz of Ferrrari and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren. 

Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was seventh for Aston Martin, boosted this week by confirmation that Red Bull’s star designer Adrian Newey will join them next year, while George Russell was eighth in the second Mercedes.