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Round 12 of Formula 2 kicked off under challenging conditions as the drivers took on the Baku street circuit for Free Practice 1. Enzo Fittipaldi led the field with a fastest lap of 1:58.244. He was followed closely by Kush Maini with a time of 1:58.896, and rookie Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top three with a 1:59.009.
Formula 2 is back this weekend for round 12 of the championship, with the title fight getting ever closer. Isack Hadjar leads the standings, holding a narrow 10.5-point advantage over Gabriel Bortoleto, with Zane Maloney sitting in third on 135 points. With only 3 more events this season, it’s anyone’s trophy.
In case you missed it, here’s what happened during the first and only practice session in F2.
Rookies Take on Baku
The Baku weekend saw three rookies making their Formula 2 debuts: Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning, and Christian Mansell. All three drivers were eager to gain some experience around the challenging street circuit.
In the early stages of the session, Juan Manuel Correa and championship leader Hadjar were the first to set flying laps. Correa clocked a 2:03.427, while Hadjar followed closely with a 2:04.063. Gabriele Mini, in his first F2 session, faced early troubles with a lock-up but managed to keep his PREMA car under control without causing a yellow flag.
Tricky Track Conditions
The drivers struggled with grip all throughout the session, with lap times significantly off the pace compared to 2023. Last year, Ollie Bearman set a practice time of 1.54.00. However, this year’s conditions proved to be challenging. With several drivers unable to break into the 1:50:00’s.
As the session progressed, lap times started to improve, with Kush Maini becoming the first to post a sub two minute time. Setting a 1:58.896. Antonelli and Fittipaldi followed closely behind, setting competitive times as the drivers adapted to the grip conditions.
However, the session was soon interrupted by a red flag after Pepe Martí spun at Turn 6. Caught out by the slippery track and light rainfall, Martí’s spin ended his session, but he avoided any serious damage to his Campos car.
Rain ruins Final Runs
As the rain lingered, most teams opted to stay in the pits as the green flag was out. With just 12 minutes left, only a few drivers, including Hadjar, Cordeel, Aron, and Browning, braved the track for another flying lap, but the rain limited any significant improvements in lap times.
In the final minutes, Ollie Goethe brought out another red flag after hitting the wall at Turn 15. Goethe, suffering from a lock-up in the low-grip conditions, sent his MP car straight into the barriers.
This brought out the second red flag of the session. When the session resumed with a minute left, drivers took the opportunity to practise race starts in preparation for the weekend’s races.
While the session provided some important insights, the unrepresentative lap times due to low grip and rain mean that qualifying will be crucial as teams seek to unlock more pace on the streets of Baku.
As no one got to set faster times since before the first red flag. When the session finished, Van Amersfoort’s Enzo Fittipadi led the first session of the weekend with a 1:58:244. Followed by Invicta’s Kush Maini who set a 1:58.896. Rounding out the top 3, was PREMA’s Kimi Antonelli with a 1:59:009.
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Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.