Practice 1 Report - McLaren 1-2 in disrupted baku opener

McLaren began the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend in commanding style as Lando Norris led team-mate Oscar Piastri in a disrupted first free practice session on the streets of Baku. A lengthy red flag for kerb repairs left drivers with limited running, but Norris made the most of the time available to finish clear at the top of the order. The opening 13 minutes produced early efforts on Pirelli’s softest C6 compound, with Norris setting the initial pace at 1m43.747s. Soon after, a piece of kerb broke away at the exit of the final corner, forcing marshals into lengthy repair work. With the stoppage eating into the middle portion of the hour, teams faced a condensed schedule once the track reopened. Norris returned to action with a decisive lap of 1m42.704s, a full second faster than his earlier effort, securing the benchmark that went unbeaten. Piastri had endured an early power unit concern but rejoined in time for the restart and delivered a 1m43.014s, ending the session 0.310s adrift. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc slotted into third with 1m43.256s, narrowly ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes by a mere 0.001s. Williams enjoyed a strong start as Alex Albon claimed fifth at 1m43.563s, while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen followed in sixth and seventh. Verstappen appeared set to improve late but locked up at Turn 14 and bailed into the escape road. Williams placed both cars inside the top ten, Carlos Sainz finishing eighth, while Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar secured ninth and tenth. Lewis Hamilton survived contact with the Turn 5 wall but avoided damage, winding up 13th with 1m44.087s. Haas drivers Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon both endured moments under braking, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll struggled for grip, ending 15th and 17th respectively. Sauber showed solid midfield pace as Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto finishing 12th and 14th. Alpine, however, lagged at the rear with Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly more than two and a half seconds down. With the unusual kerb failure the main talking point, teams now face the challenge of compressing their weekend preparations. McLaren will take encouragement from its commanding one-two, but Ferrari and Mercedes remain within striking range heading into the afternoon session.