@LandoNorris heads @McLarenF1 one-two in red-flag affected FP1 session. #F1 #AzerbaijanGP

Norris Azerbaijan GP FP1 – Lando Norris lead from team-mate Oscar Piastri in a McLaren one-two in a red flag-affected FP1 session at the Azerbaijan GP whilst Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three.

Norris set the session-topping benchmark on the C6 red side-walled softer tyres and was 0.310 seconds clear of team-mate Piastri whilst Leclerc was a further 0.552 seconds adrift of the Briton in a weekend where McLaren could indeed wrap up their back-to-back Constructor’s Championship.

Alpine’s Franco Colapinto lead the pack out onto the Baku City Circuit on the C6 red-marked softer compounds.

The Argentine pitted as Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg was the first to register a flyer of a 1:47.422 on the C6’s.

There was a brief yellow flag as Hulkenberg’s team-mate suffered a lock-up at turn three, the Brazilian managed to reverse and continue on.

Lawson then topped the time-sheets and was quickly beaten by both Red Bull’s of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda as both of them were P1 and P2 with a 1:46.121 and 1:47.092 respectively at the sixth minute mark of the session.

Williams’ Carlos Sainz also demoted Hulkenberg to fifth with his 1:47.355 effort as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc slotted into seventh whilst Mercedes’ George Russell moved up into top spot with a 1:45.914 with three personal bests.

RB’s Isack Hadjar then sent the Briton to P2 with his 1:45.904 seconds to be 0.010 seconds quicker.

McLaren’s Norris was next posting two purples and a personal best sector three to hit the top with a 1:44.274 as Williams’s Alexander Albon, Hulkenberg, Ocon and Bearman slotted into second, third, fourth, fifth in the order.

Verstappen on his next flying tour went only 0.096 adrift of Norris’s benchmark in second place whilst Tsunoda jumped into third.

Leclerc followed 12 minutes in to set a 1:44.314 to move into second place as Russell then was quickest posting a 1:44.130 to be 0.124 seconds clear of Norris.

Norris was next and with two purple opening sectors went fastest posting a 1:43.747 as the session was red flagged 13 minutes due to rubber coming up from under the exit kerb at turn 16.

Replays showed the championship leader Piastri stuck in the garage due to an engine issue.

The session was still under red flag conditions at the half-an-hour mark of the hour-long session; the delay was longer than it first appeared. The debris was not carbon fibre but rubber-based and had bonded to the kerb. As a result, the marshals are just double checking the area before the running got going again.

After the rubber and kerb was repaired and the session resumed with 21 minutes left on the clock, Sainz lead the field out on the C6’s and joining them was Piastri after McLaren managed to rectify the issue aboard his MCL39 racer.

Albon moved up to fifth with three personal bests posting a 1:44.645 as RB’s Liam Lawson jumped to fourth and was 0.600 seconds adrift of Norris’s benchmark.

Piastri’s first proper hot-lap put the championship leader tenth and 1.105 seconds off his leading team-mate as Verstappen moved to second with a 1:43.790 to be a slim 0.043 adrift of Norris.

Norris was next and with three purples improved on his benchmark setting a 1:42.704 to go over one second clear of Verstappen with 12 minutes remaining.

Piastri then slotted into third with three personal bests to be 1.159 seconds off his leading team-mate.

Hulkenberg moved up into fourth with his 1:43.986 to be 1.282 seconds off Norris’s benchmark as replays showed Sir Lewis Hamilton clipped the wall at turn five suffering front-left wing damage.

Hamilton managed to limp home to the pits for a front wing change.

Leclerc with three personal bests shot to second posting a 1:43.256 as Russell improved slightly in third on a 1:43.421 whilst Albon moved up to fourth to be 0.859 seconds off Norris’s time-topper.

Tsunoda was next as the Red Bull driver moved to fifth with a 1:43.738 to be 1.034 off Norris with less than four minutes remaining.

Piastri followed on his flyer and the Australian put himself second and 0.310 seconds off team-mate Norris in the order as replays showed Verstappen suffered a front-left lock up and went into the run-off area.

Replays also showed Piastri having a scary moment tapping his right-rear on the wall.

Russell improved but only to be a very narrow 0.001 seconds behind Leclerc to remain in fourth.

Albon was fifth and in-front of the two RB21 entries of Tsunoda and Verstappen who were sixth and seventh respectively.

Sainz took eighth as RB’s Lawson and Hadjar completed the top ten.

You can see the full Formula 1 Qatar Airways Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2025 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2025 – PRACTICE 1

#F1 Qatar Airways #AzerbaijanGP 2025 Preview. #Formula1

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