McLaren shines in FP1 with Norris ahead of Piastri, Ferrari chasing while Hamilton hits the wall
McLaren confirmed its strong form even on the streets of Baku, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri setting the fastest times in the first free practice session (FP1) of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Norris immediately showed pace, setting the fastest lap at 1:42.704, just 0.310 seconds ahead of Piastri, who started more cautiously due to a technical issue with his car.
Piastri spent a long time in the garage as McLaren investigated a potential power unit issue on car number 81, the Australian’s MCL39. The championship leader’s car remained in the garage for over half of the session, causing Oscar Piastri to lose valuable track time.
The impression is that Norris was pushing to the limit from the start, while Oscar Piastri is gradually building confidence lap by lap. The full picture of McLaren’s performance is expected to become clearer in this afternoon’s session.
Ferrari focused heavily on aerodynamic work, with flow viz applied to the SF-25s of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc set the third-fastest time, the best of the rest, half a second behind Norris and 0.25 seconds behind Piastri. Hamilton, meanwhile, struggled, finishing 13th, more than 1.3 seconds off the McLaren pace. The British driver also clipped the wall at Turn 4, puncturing his left front tyre and damaging the front wing of his Ferrari.
George Russell was fourth in the lead Mercedes, while Andrea Antonelli narrowly missed the top 10, finishing 11th by just 0.010 seconds. Williams impressed, with Alexander Albon in fifth and Carlos Sainz in eighth. The Grove-based team is expected to perform strongly this weekend, particularly on low-downforce circuits.
Yuki Tsunoda outpaced Max Verstappen in FP1, with the Red Bull drivers finishing sixth and seventh respectively, the four-time world champion just 0.052 seconds behind the Japanese driver. The Red Bulls completed the top 10 with Liam Lawson ahead of Isack Hadjar.
There was a single red flag during the session caused by a rubber strip dislodged from a kerb after a heavy pass by Carlos Sainz’s Williams. The strip, which helps secure the kerb to the asphalt, was removed by a marshal after some effort, allowing the session to resume with around 20 minutes remaining. Officials will need to replace it for FP2.
Attention should be paid to the usual Sauber drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg very close to the top 10 and Gabriel Bortoleto matching Hamilton’s lap time down to the millisecond. Aston Martin and Haas struggled, while Alpine finished at the back of the timesheets, with Franco Colapinto ahead of Pierre Gasly.
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