2025 Azerbaijan GP – FP2 Report: Hamilton Leads Ferrari 1–2 as Norris Clips the Wall

Racing Statistics
Sep 20
2 min read

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025

Session: Free Practice 2 (Round 17)

Circuit: Baku City Circuit (Azerbaijan)

Ferrari stamped its authority on FP2 in Baku with a commanding one–two. Lewis Hamilton topped the session with a 1:41.293, just 0.074s ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. It wasn’t smooth sailing for everyone: Lando Norris ended his running early after brushing the wall at Turn 4, and McLaren’s overall pace faded versus FP1.

Chart of FP2 sector times for the Azerbaijan GP 2025. Features colored bars: red for Sector 1, blue for Sector 2, yellow for Sector 3. — 2025 Azerbaijan GP Free Practice 2 Results and Sector Times

Azerbaijan GP FP2 Session Storylines

Ferrari turns the screw

Hamilton P1 – 1:41.293, Leclerc P2 – 1:41.367 (+0.074).
Hamilton also clocked 1:41.543 on mediums earlier in the hour—handy data for Saturday’s tyre strategy.

McLaren’s mixed afternoon

After leading FP1, Norris initially moved the target to 1:42.199, but later hit the wall at Turn 4 and couldn’t return. He finished P10.
Oscar Piastri rebounded from FP1 power unit issues, opened FP2 with a banker 1:43.307 on softs, but slipped to P12 as grip evolved.

Bar chart showing top speeds in Azerbaijan GP FP2. Labeled bars with colors and texts show drivers' initials and speeds, max 354 km/h. — 2025 Azerbaijan GP FP2 Top Speeds

Limits explored, runoff used

Liam Lawson overshot Turn 15 early on; Hamilton took to the escape road at Turn 7—classic Baku as drivers probed braking points on a green track.

Late softs reset the order

Leclerc broke into the 1:41s (1:41.786), before Hamilton’s late soft-tyre push delivered the day’s best 1:41.293.

FP2 Results — Azerbaijan GP 2025

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap
1	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	1:41.293	—
2	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:41.367	+0.074
3	George Russell	Mercedes	1:41.770	+0.477
4	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	1:41.779	+0.486
5	Oliver Bearman	Haas	1:41.891	+0.598
6	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:41.902	+0.609
7	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	1:41.989	+0.696
8	Esteban Ocon	Haas	1:42.167	+0.874
9	Alexander Albon	Williams	1:42.177	+0.884
10	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:42.199	+0.906
11	Carlos Sainz	Williams	1:42.255	+0.962
12	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	1:42.295	+1.002
13	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	1:42.443	+1.150
14	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	1:42.444	+1.151
15	Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	1:42.561	+1.268
16	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	1:42.674	+1.381
17	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:42.771	+1.478
18	Nico Hülkenberg	Sauber	1:42.820	+1.527
19	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	1:42.967	+1.674
20	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	*(time reported as 1:42.322)**	—

* Note: Colapinto’s reported time (1:42.322) would typically place him around P11–P12, not P20. Marked here as provided; await official timing sheets for confirmation.

Incidents & Notes

Norris: Light wall contact exiting T4; damaged left-rear suspension; session over.
Piastri: Brief Turn 15 kiss with TechPro; continued after checks.
Piastri under investigation: Alleged yellow-flag infringement post-session.
Runoff moments: Lawson T15, Hamilton T7—no major damage.

Chart comparing ideal and best lap times for drivers at 2025 Azerbaijan GP FP2. Green and white dots on a black background. — F1 2025 Baku GP Ideal vs Best Lap

What it means for Saturday

Ferrari holds the one-lap edge heading into FP3/Quali. Hamilton’s medium-tyre pace suggests flexible options for Q2 runs.
Mercedes looks solid in the sub-1:42 window—both drivers inside the top four.
Red Bull tidied things up vs FP1; still chasing the last tenth in the twisty sector.
McLaren needs a reset after Norris’s stoppage and Piastri’s disrupted day—raw speed likely still there, execution is the question.

F1 Live Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Watchalong with Commentary + Live Timings: