F2 | FP | Azerbaijan GP | Dunne tops the timing sheets in a chaotic free practice around Baku - Motorsport

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With the championship battles still tighter than ever, the F2 grid returned to Asia for the Azerbaijan GP, starting the weekend off with Free Practice (FP). The Baku Round will provide plenty of overtaking opportunities as the drivers will benefit from the longest straight in F2. Moreover, the street circuit is known for the chaos, which brings both opportunities and mistakes.

Coming into this round, the F2 grid faced some modifications. Trident replaced its line-up after parting ways with both Sami Meguetounif and Max Esterson for the final three rounds. Making the step up to Formula 2, Laurens van Hoepen and Martinius Stenshorne became Trident’s new prospects. Experience behind the wheel of an F2 car can prove to be beneficial for their motorsport careers.

In terms of the Drivers’ Championship, the F2 Azerbaijan GP will become the battleground for Leonardo Fornaroli and Luke Browning. The latter will attempt to maintain the momentum he earned after winning in Monza last round. With only 21 points between the two, both drivers will require a nearly perfect weekend if they want to keep the title prospects close.

The usual starting procedures

The F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session wass set to begin at 10:00 am local time. As the Free Practice was only 45 minutes long, the teams focused on figuring out the best Qualifying and Race setup configurations. Baku is a narrow street circuit, where mistakes can prove race-ending. The tricky layout will have drivers battling balance issues and avoiding chaos.

Pressure will be on for Qualifying, where a good start position might not always equal a race win. However, at a track like this one, a clean getaway at lights out can offer a driver peace of mind. This round’s tendency for Safety Cars will become vital for teams and their strategy options.

Green lights at Baku

With a track temperature of 24 degrees C, the 22 drivers took off and began their F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session. The stakes are high for both drivers and teams as they make their way onto the Baku City circuit. Coming off last year’s win, Joshua Dürksen will attempt to repeat those circumstances for the 2025 season.

Most of the drivers took their time in the first 10 minutes, either staying put in the pit lane or just familiarising themselves with the circuit and its turns. Trident had its F3 graduates take advantage of all the time they could get, since the Formula 3 series does not race in Azerbaijan.

Martinius Stenshorne was the first of the two rookies to try his hand at a fast lap around the track. As Laurens van Hoepen followed suit, he lost control of his car and had a small slip, with no contact.

30 minutes left of the session

As the F2 grid set out to put out times, Dürksen was the first to set a benchmark with 2:00.278. With their tyres finally warmed up, Leo Fornaroli aimed to drop that time. The F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session highlighted a problem with the race track, with debris being particularly noticeable.

Browning proved to be set on making an impression this weekend as he took on P1 on the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Ritomo Miyata missed the apex and almost touched the barriers as he had to drive through the runoff area. Martins also had a close call alongside one of the many tricky, narrow parts of Baku, brushing the wall.

As the drivers swapped positions in the top 5, Miyata triggered a yellow flag as he left the track again at turn 15. A right-front lock-up had him commit to the run-off area as he managed to avoid the wall yet again. The exchange up top left Browning as the leader with a 1:56.769.

The trial and error around Baku City

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session took off as drivers went all out in their qualifying lap practice. Victor Martins put the pedal to the metal with a great time, 1:56.388, effectively showing potential for the later sessions.

One of Trident’s cars had a bit of a brake fire on the front-left tyre, emphasising the impact of the track’s demanding layout. Throughout this part of the Free Practice, Luke Browning and Victor Martins were exchanging purple sectors.

The championship leader was struggling behind as he had to learn the race track for the first time, costing him time. Browning remained ahead in his battle with Martins, both drivers dropping their lap times one more before returning to the garage.

Last push in the final 10 minutes

Throughout the entirety of the F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session, Hitech was the team that showed the most speed with their lineup. As Browning kept dropping seconds from his time, Dino Beganovic remained close by in P3.

Some yellow flags were triggered and went by as the drivers attempted to gain more. Nonetheless, the yellow flag finally stuck as John Bennett faced a similar fate to Miyata and ran off the track.

Crawford struggled around the circuit as his front right brake caught fire. A big lock-up for Arvid Lindblad saw him lose control of his Campos car. The driver triggered a VSC (Virtual Safety Car) as he could not start his car back up, having to abandon the rest of the session.

The end of Free Practice

If this F2 Azerbaijan GP FP session proved anything, it showcased just how tricky this track will be for the grid. Many struggled with brake issues, whether they caught fire or just did not cool fast enough, causing them to lose balance in certain corners.

Putting out a purple third sector, Luke Browning dropped the timing sheet even more, 1:55.720. The last minutes of FP proved how the track can improve throughout a session. As the time ran out, Alex Dunne tried his hand at a final flying lap that had him run off at Turn 2.

The session ended under yellow flags, yet the last-minute flying laps changed up the top 5, unfortunately for Browning. Despite his incident, Dunne managed to finish P1 with a 1:55.720. Behind him, Jak Crawford took second place by a +0.049. Dino Beganovic completed the top 3.

F2 Azerbaijan GP FP results