Verstappen: 'Ferrari fast again over one lap, in longruns more equal'

Max Verstappen managed to secure third place in the first and second free practice sessions. Twice he was beaten by teammate Sergio Perez, just like in Monaco. The Dutchman is not dissatisfied with the first day in Azerbaijan, as he knows that there is still more in store.

The Ferrari's still had to concede some time to Perez's Red Bull in FP1, but a few hours later the roles were reversed. The street circuit of Baku has many long straights, it is the circuit where percentage-wise the most full throttle is driven. Yet Ferrari manages to make up a lot of time in the slow corners.

Ferrari's narrow lead

Red Bull seems to have chosen a low-downforce setup, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz drive with a medium-downforce setup. With the balance of the F1-75 it seems to be alright, as Verstappen also concludes with De Telegraaf: "Ferrari seems fast again over one lap, in longruns it seems a bit more equal. That's positive."

There are still plenty of areas for improvement, but the reigning world champion says that "All in all it was not a bad day." Furthermore, Verstappen states that during the second free practice he also experienced no more problems with the rear wing. According to Sky Sports that has everything to do with the fact that the Dutchman drives again with the rear wing that Perez uses.