George Russell dominated the second free practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, clocking a 1:43.347 on the Soft compound to lead Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by over half a second. Max Verstappen completed the top three, though the real story from Friday at Baku was how the circuit conditions tested every team's setup philosophy. With track temperatures peaking at nearly 45 degrees Celsius and winds gusting up to 25 km/h, getting the tyres into their operating window proved far trickier than expected.

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Both practice sessions revealed just how much the Baku track surface has deteriorated since last year. Dust sat thick on the racing line during FP1, creating massive lap time swings as the circuit evolved throughout the day. Teams saw improvements of up to two seconds between the morning and afternoon sessions, which means tyre preparation and management will be absolutely critical heading into Saturday. Most drivers got their best times on the Soft compound, though the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, plus Franco Colapinto, ran a different strategy by mixing Hard and Soft tyres. Aston Martin went even more unconventional, sticking exclusively with the C5 compound.

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Pirelli's Simone Berra noted that the smooth track surface actually prevented graining, which surprised the tyre supplier given the conditions. Degradation stayed remarkably low throughout longer runs, and track evolution almost completely cancelled out tyre wear, meaning lap times kept improving even when drivers weren't pushing harder. The data confirmed expected performance deltas between compounds, with roughly half a second separating the C4 and C5.

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Saturday's race promises a different challenge altogether. Temperatures are forecast to drop and wind gusts should strengthen even more, which means teams will need to work even harder to generate tyre heat. Russell's FP1 benchmark came on the Soft tyre at 1:45.387, while Charles Leclerc impressed in third using the Medium. All three compounds remain theoretically viable for the race, but Berra expects the softer options will play a bigger role thanks to the cooler conditions. One-stop strategies are looking increasingly likely, so Friday's degradation data will prove invaluable when teams plan their Saturday tactics.

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