Charles Leclerc quickest in Azerbaijan Grand Prix second practice as Sergio Perez drops to second, Lewis Hamilton 11th

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was quickest in the second practice in Baku ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday.

Leclerc, currently second in the overall standings, held off Red Bull duo Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen to clock the fastest lap of 1:43.224.

But he appeared to experience problems with his engine towards the end of the session as both Ferrari and Red Bull wrestled with technical difficulties.

Verstappen, who currently leads the drivers’ championship, was delayed on track by ten minutes as his team worked to resolve DRS issues experienced in practice one.

But the 24-year-old still came in third quickest ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso in fourth who looked rapid down the straights.

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest of the openers but his time at the top was short lived as Leclerc took the lead, and Mercedes would count another disappointing day on the track as the seven-time world champion finished 11th, with team-mate George Russell in a more encouraging seventh place.

Mick Schumacher and Nicholas Latifi – who were both forced out of first practice due to technical issues – returned to finish 19th and 20th.

Perez and Leclerc each flew off the track at turns one and seven respectively, with the former ruining flying laps for Verstappen and Carlos Sainz as the yellow flag was shown.