(Baku) Reigning world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Formula 1 championship leader, set the best time in the only free practice session of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, 4th round of the World Championship Formula 1, Friday in the streets of Baku.

He is one breath ahead of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), relegated to 37/1000th only from the Dutchman, and his teammate at Red Bull, the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), 3rd.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz takes 4th place on the time sheet, far ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, 11th and 17th respectively.

The session was interrupted for about fifteen minutes due to the start of a fire on the Alpine of Frenchman Pierre Gasly linked to a loss of hydraulic pressure.

The weekend for the French team could not have started worse, as its second driver, Esteban Ocon, stayed most of the time in the garage due to a potential problem in the back of his car.

It’s a blow for Alpine, because this free practice session – the only one of the weekend – was essential to test the various settings before the disputed qualifying in the afternoon in which Gasly is not, for the hour, not guaranteed to be able to participate.

The Azerbaijan GP is the first of six races this season to feature a sprint race on Saturday, a format inaugurated in 2021.

With the sprint races, the qualifications are brought forward to Friday, with a novelty this year, since they will determine the starting grid for the GP on Sunday.

Saturday will be dedicated to the sprint. The drivers will take to the track for a second qualifying session on the same model as that of Friday, but shorter, which will determine the starting order for the sprint race contested on the same day.