Leclerc Bounces Back in Baku: Fastest in Azerbaijan Grand Prix Practice

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari rebounded from a crash to clock the fastest practice time for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Red Bull's Sergio Perez followed closely, while Max Verstappen faced challenges but remained optimistic. McLaren's Lando Norris struggled, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton secured the third-fastest time for Mercedes.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc rebounded from a crash to record the fastest time in practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Friday. Despite hitting a wall and missing part of the first session, Leclerc clocked in at one minute 43.484 seconds, leading the second practice round.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez, with a strong track record in Baku, was a mere 0.006 seconds behind. Perez's teammate Max Verstappen had issues but remained hopeful, saying, 'We learnt quite a bit and now it's just about tidying up the things that we tried.'

In other news, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished third fastest. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris faced difficulties, citing a performance gap compared to top teams. The day also saw British teenager Oliver Bearman debut for Haas, replacing the suspended Kevin Magnussen.

(With inputs from agencies.)