Verstappen topped first practice with a time of 1:44.410, with team mate Daniel Ricciardo finishing four tenths behind him to ensure a Red Bull one-two, before the Dutch teenager capped an excellent day with an improved time of 1:43.362 in the second session.
"It was very weird to be honest", he explained.
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas managed to split the Red Bulls in Practice Two to show Mercedes' outright pace and team boss Toto Wolff expects a tough fight in qualifying.
With 30 seconds remaining, Verstappen lost control of the rear of his vehicle and slid into the barriers. "The whole day has been really positive, except the last lap". "I locked up and was still trying to make the corner but then I tried to play it safe and take the exit road, suddenly I lost the rear and I had like a four-wheel powerslide into the barrier".
Formula One leader Sebastian Vettel was fourth fastest, and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen fifth. ― Reuters picBAKU, June 23 ― Max Verstappen completed an impressive double today by topping the times in second free practice for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, having done the same for Red Bull in the opening morning session, before crashing in the final minute.
It was the last incident of the day after Force India's Sergio Perez and Renault's Jolyon Palmer crashed at the same spot in the narrow old town section which saw the sessions interrupted.
Ricciardo had just joined him with 1m 44.880s when Perez got it wrong going into Turn 8.
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Police Commander Stuart Cundy said police will seek criminal prosecutions if the evidence warrants. "That number 58 may change". She has since announced additional support and a five million-pound relief fund for the rehabilitation of the victims.
However with the session all but over the youngster made a mistake at Turn 1 and went sideways into the barriers.
On another frustrating day for Fernando Alonso, the Spanish driver ended up helping mechanics wheel his auto away after the engine blew with about 30 minutes left.
So now the order was Verstappen, Ricciardo, Perez, Bottas, Ocon and Hamilton. Only once it had been cleared into a run off area on the other side of the track was the session able to get back underway with less than ten minutes remaining on the clock.
The 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) circuit glides through the city's medieval walls and passes the Caspian sea. With its combination of long straights and hard-braking corners, it is a mixture of Monza and Monaco and poses big problems for grip.
Russian driver Daniil Kvyat sent debris onto the track after clipping the barriers with his Toro Rosso on Turn 14, while Sauber driver Marcus Ericcson was sliding everywhere near the end of the second session.
Perez harmed only his pride in the incident after he carried too much speed through the ultra-tight Turn 7 with the front right of his auto thudding the barrier on entry to the corner.
Meanwhile, French driver Romain Grosjean was slowest and ranted constantly about brake trouble in his Haas vehicle.
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