Russell picked up right where he left off, going fastest again and completing a clean sweep of Thursday’s running on a day where Mercedes simply had the strongest car in Baku. Antonelli bounced back from his FP1 issue in style, going second fastest behind his teammate, with Verstappen splitting the Mercedes duo from the rest. The session had its own red flag drama when Lindblad struck the wall in the tight castle section, his second incident of the day, halting the clock while marshals cleared the scene.
Once running resumed, the order settled with Russell on top, Antonelli second and Verstappen third. Leclerc and Hamilton followed in fourth and fifth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris sixth for McLaren. Pierre Gasly took seventh for Alpine, just ahead of Piastri in eighth, Isack Hadjar ninth for Red Bull and Ocon completing the top ten for Haas.
