Bortoleto: I have learned a lot about the limits of what is permissible.

      In Friday practice sessions in Baku, the Sauber drivers followed the standard program to prepare for qualifying and the race, and were exploring the limits of how aggressively they could attack the fast street circuit. The gap to the leaders was fairly large, but the team expects to reduce it on Saturday.

      Gabriel Bortoleto (15th): "Overall a good day despite the challenging conditions. A few drivers ran straight off the track, and I had a few similar moments, but that's just part of trying to attack on the limit. On the plus side, I've learned a lot about the limits of what's permissible, which provides a foundation for further progress ahead of qualifying. We'll be able to work this evening, and I'm curious to see what results the team will achieve tomorrow."

      Nico Hülkenberg (18th): "It was a typical Friday with nothing extraordinary happening. We completed the program, focusing on optimizing the car's balance and the areas where we need to gain. Looking at the lap times, there's still work to be done, but overall the team has a decent platform to build on. Now we need to adjust the setup for the remaining two days of the weekend."