PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Has dominant McLaren’s progress been derailed in Baku?

Ferrari set the pace in Free Practice 2 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, with McLaren barely breaking into the top 10. So the big question is: should McLaren be worried?

F1 Correspondent & PresenterLawrence Barretto
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 19: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL39 Mercedes

For the second race on the bounce, Lewis Hamilton headed a Ferrari 1-2 in a practice session as he topped the times on the streets of Azerbaijan's capital Baku. But does the seven-time World Champion or his team mate Charles Leclerc have a genuine shot at pole and the win this weekend?

Messy day of practice masks McLaren's underlying pace

McLaren arrived in Baku knowing another 1-2 or 1-3 would be enough to guarantee the defence of the Teams' Championship with seven races to go, no matter what any other team did – but the classification in FP2 didn't look so kind for them after arguably their scrappiest session of the year.