Lando Norris dominated red-flagged opening Azerbaijan GP practice at the Baku City Circuit, leading a McLaren 1-2 ahead of championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri.
From the outset, the session was filled with anticipation with all drivers eager to establish a foothold on the 6-kilometer street circuit known for its unforgiving walls and slippery kerbs.
Norris quickly stamped his authority on the track, posting the fastest time of 1:42.704, outpacing Piastri by just over three-tenths of a second.
This pace not only demonstrated McLaren’s competitive edge but also set the stage for what promises to be an intense battle between the two teammates currently locked in a tight drivers’ championship battle, with Piastri holding a 31-point lead over Norris.
The session began with Lando Norris leading the early running, pushing on Pirelli’s softest tyre compound, the C6, which the Italian tyre supplier introduced recently to improve racing dynamics in street circuits like Baku.
His pace was evident despite a minor incident in which he briefly pitted to remove debris from his car, which didn’t affect his overall performance.
However, the early part of the session saw a critical setback for Oscar Piastri who faced a power unit issue immediately after his first lap.
The Australian was quickly instructed to keep revs low and return to the garage, where his team had to act promptly to rectify the problem.
Fortunately for Piastri, the extended red flag period caused by track issues provided McLaren with the perfect window to fix the problem without the risk of losing excessive track time to their rivals.
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The red flag itself was triggered by a loose kerb at Turn 16, the final corner before the long pit straight, which necessitated immediate repair.
The kerb, dislodged by earlier track activity—possibly from Williams’ Carlos Sainz—posed a significant safety hazard, as failures here could unsettle the aerodynamics of the cars or cause further incidents.
The stoppage lasted approximately 20 to 25 minutes, severely disrupting the usual rhythm of running and test programs for all teams but the marshals ultimately fixed the kerb.
Several other incidents dotted the opening Azerbaijan GP practice, reflecting the challenging nature of the Baku street circuit with its tight corners and unforgiving barriers.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton clipped the wall at Turn 5, which caused damage to his front wing and resulted in a punctured front-left tyre. His mishap dropped him down the timesheets to 13th place, although he was otherwise unharmed.
Meanwhile, reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen showed promising early pace in his Red Bull but made a mistake at the downhill braking zone at Turn 15, locking his wheels and running off into the escape road.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc continued to show pace at this circuit, finishing third behind the McLaren pair and trailing Norris by just over half a second.
Mercedes’ George Russell put in a resilient performance to finish fourth fastest, especially considering his reported illness earlier in the week which had him miss media commitments.
Williams’ Alex Albon was fifth fastest, while under pressure Yuki Tsunoda made a decent start to his weekend in sixth narrowly in front of Red Bull team-mate Verstappen who managed to post the seventh fastest time following his earlier incident.
Carlos Sainz followed in eighth amid his inadvertent role in the session’s interruption by dislodging the kerb rubber, with Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar rounding out the top ten.
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