Striking difference between Red Bull and Mercedes spotted on Friday in Baku

Red Bull Racing put in a strong performance in Friday's sessions in Baku. The team outperformed Mercedes in the second free practice session in particular, with Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen the two fastest drivers, while Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both finished outside the top ten.

Apart from Red Bull, it was mainly Ferrari that put in a strong performance on Friday, with both teams seeming to continue the tradition of the Monaco race weekend. It was also noticeable that both teams managed to clock up a very fast pace in the long runs. It was noticeable that Red Bull seemed to suffer less from tyre degradation than their competitors.

Red Bull drove with old Honda engine on Friday

Apart from that, there was another striking detail: Auto, Motor und Sport reports that the Honda teams were still running with the old power unit on Friday, while both Mercedes and Ferrari had already replaced it with their second engine. The Austrian team is expected to make the switch on Saturday as well, but it once again underlines the team's strong form in combination with the Honda power unit.

The street circuit in Azerbaijan seems to be a good match for Red Bull Racing and Ferrari so far. Mercedes, however, are struggling since both Hamilton and Bottas seemed to struggle through the streets of Baku. However, as we saw in Monaco, the playing field could be very different on Saturday.