By Mark Karp
During the only practice session for the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured the fastest time with a last gasp flying lap, beating Charles Leclerc’s late effort. Sergio Perez came in third. The 60-minute session had several incidents, including a red flag caused by Kevin Magnussen stopping in the Turn 1 runoff due to a loss of fuel pressure. The session was further delayed by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine catching fire after a hydraulic leak.
With 32 minutes remaining, drivers returned to the track, and during the last phase, Verstappen set a lap time of 1m43.042s on the soft tires, with Perez and Leclerc closely following. Verstappen eventually clocked the session’s leading time of 1m42.315s. Carlos Sainz secured fourth, followed by Perez and Lando Norris.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished 11th and 17th respectively, as they did not complete soft-tire runs due to reported brake problems.
