10 June 2022

The two drivers got a feel for the conditions during the first practice run, most notably having to contend with the wind that swept across the 6,003-km Baku City track today. The drivers used Mediums for most of the race, switching over to Softs towards the end, reds being the best choice for a push lap. Fernando roared into fifth with a lap time of 1:46:571, five spots ahead of Esteban, with a lap time of 1:46:917.

 

During the second session, as the light faded and the track temperature began to drop, the pair continued on Pirelli Mediums and Softs. On the Softs, the Spaniard shot into forth in 1:44:142, setting the all-time best third sector. A regular fixture in the top ten, Esteban finished ninth, with a best time of 1:44:609 and the fastest top speed in Sector 3.

 

Esteban Ocon:

 

“It was a solid day for us overall. In Baku, you really need to take advantage of the practice runs and complete as many laps as possible. Like in Monaco, confidence is key in Baku. You gain so much by finding the right braking points; it’s critical. The car seems in shape to compete, which is good to see. It’s up to us to line everything up tomorrow.”

 

Fernando Alonso:

 

“With the wind and the fast nature of the track, the conditions are often touchy here. But I think we had a great Friday and were able to test out some of our new elements. We still need to make some tweaks to our setup before the qualifying tomorrow, but we were really fast today. Tonight, we will work to ensure that we maintain this pace tomorrow. We perform well on the straight. On this type of track, it’s all about compromise, but we’ll see how we do tomorrow.”

 

Alan Permane, Sporting Director:

 

“We’re really happy with today. We made a few adjustments in Baku, and everything appears to be working as it should. The drivers are understandably pleased with their cars, even if we have a few improvements to be explored. Both sessions went as planned and were fairly straightforward. We worked on the tyres and understood where we needed to be, no matter how much fuel is in the tank. Wind plays a big role here, with gusts that even shake up the drivers, as we saw several times. This is especially true in the last two laps, which are very tricky to navigate with a tail wind. It was a studious day, and we look forward to competing in the qualifying tomorrow.”