Norris tops Baku FP1 after long delay to fix curbing

Lando Norris topped the opening practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a long delay for curb repairs cost drivers almost half the session.

The session had been running for only 14 minutes when it was suspended under red flags to clear debris on the circuit. Initially a rogue car part was suspected, but marshal inspection revealed it to be a rubber strip that had popped out from beneath the curb at the exit of Turn 16.

With great effort the marshal managed to dislodge the rubber after only a few minutes, but the incident raised concerns about the security of the curbs, leading to a significantly longer delay as they were checked for problems.

It took a total of 25 minutes to get cars back onto the circuit, by that point with only 21 minutes remaining on the clock.

Norris had already moved to top spot on the time sheet before the red flag, and the McLaren driver picked up where he left off afterwards, extending his advantage with a fastest lap of 1m42.704s. It was an emphatic benchmark that put him 0.31s clear of teammate Oscar Piastri.

The lengthy delay was good news for the Australian, who was forced back to pit lane after only two laps with a power unit problem.

“Recharge on, back off. Avoid full load. Keep low revs,” he was told over team radio, and with the driver out of the car and the engine cover off immediately, the problem looked dire. But the team was able to solve the problem during the suspension, and Piastri was ready to take to the track with the rest of the field, ensuring he lost only a handful of laps in total.

His fastest time came later in the session as he caught up on lost running, but the lap was scrappy and included a hefty whack of the barriers at Turn 15. Unsurprisingly 0.2s of his deficit was all in the middle sector, of which Turn 15 forms part.

Charles Leclerc, the four-time Baku pole-getter was third but 0.552s off the pace. Most of the Ferrari’s deficit was in the first and second sectors, though Leclerc gained a fractional amount in the third split, which is the flat-out section between Turn 16 and the start-finish line.

George Russell was fourth in a Mercedes the Briton reported was bottoming significantly in its early runs. Russell, who also reported smelling burning in his cockpit early in the hour, had skipped his Thursday media duties with illness, and the sound of his voice suggested he was still feeling its after-effects.

Alex Albon was fifth fastest despite bumping the barriers at Turn 15 on his final performance lap on softs, putting the Williams driver 0.859s off the pace.

Yuki Tsunoda was the fastest Red Bull Racing driver, finishing the session sixth and 1.034s off the pace. His teammate, Max Verstappen, followed in seventh and 0.069s further back, but the Dutchman lost his final performance run to a mistake that sent him diving into the run-off area at Turn 15. “It is coming off the ground under braking,” the frustrated Verstappen radioed before rejoining the session.

Carlos Sainz was eighth in the second Williams ahead of Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who were closely matched around 1.2s off the pace.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli made it through the hour cleanly to finish 11th ahead of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.

Lewis Hamilton was a lowly 13th and 1.383s off the pace after a messy final performance run that saw him smack the barriers at Turn 5. The incident cost the Briton his front wing and a puncture, forcing him back to pit lane without having completed the lap.

Gabriel Bortoleto finished 14th ahead of Fernando Alonso – whose Aston Martin appeared to be bottoming significantly down the front straight – Oliver Bearman, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon.

Alpine teammates Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly were anchored to the bottom of the order, 2.5s and 2.7s off the pace respectively.

RESULTS