Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; TaxiSports provides the summary and editorial framing.
McLaren Stumbles in Baku Opening Running
Lando Norris delivered a blunt assessment of McLaren's single-lap potential at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, writing off his chances of fighting for pole position after ending Thursday practice 1.5 seconds adrift of pace-setter George Russell. McLaren brought an extensive upgrade package to Baku—including revised sidepods, engine cover, floor edge, and diffuser—yet the car struggled through the circuit's low-speed 90-degree corners.
Russell topped both Thursday sessions for Mercedes, setting a pace that left rivals scrambling. While Norris aborted a flying lap in second practice that likely would have halved his deficit, the Briton remained unenthusiastic about their baseline performance. Norris currently trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 106 points with nine rounds remaining.
“We are miles off. We are up there relative and in the position we expect to be in but we are 1.5 seconds off the pace. Pretty pants,” Norris said. “The car doesn't feel that bad, so it's a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are. I just care about the pace and we are not very fast.”
McLaren Chief Technical Officer Rob Marshall noted that the eight new components on the car are behaving according to aerodynamic maps, emphasizing that extracting single-lap pace requires fine-tuning setup balances over a race weekend rather than discarding the concept.
Mercedes Sets the Benchmark Amid Reliability Hiccups
Mercedes controlled the timing screens despite disruption on Antonelli's side of the garage. The championship leader lost significant track time due to a hydraulics leak in first practice followed by a preemptive engine change ahead of second practice. Despite the limited preparation on the unforgiving street track, Antonelli secured second in FP2, finishing half a second behind his teammate.
Russell expects the field to converge during qualifying. Squeezing a hot lap out of Baku demands pinpoint precision under braking into 90-degree turns, where missing the apex by inches ruins thermal preparation across the carcass before the car hits the two-kilometre main straight.
Ferrari and Red Bull Contend with Setup Deficits
Max Verstappen finished as the nearest challenger outside Mercedes, placing eight-tenths off the top time despite Red Bull introducing their own developmental parts. Isack Hadjar returned to action alongside Verstappen following a three-round absence due to a wrist injury, completing productive running after an FP1 engine issue.
At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both placed inside the top five, but Hamilton highlighted persistent issues in firing up the Pirelli rubber. The operating window around Baku proved razor-thin; an out-lap and single prep lap failed to trigger grip, whereas a secondary preparation tour drastically changed the surface bite. Hamilton also noted a measurable straight-line speed deficit compared to Mercedes.
Paddock Dynamics
The paddock’s current political tension resembles high-end kitchen service right before the rush: Red Bull and McLaren are furiously tinkering with base ingredients and floor recipes, while Mercedes is quietly serving cold, ruthless consistency that leaves rivals second-guessing their own preparations.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Weekend Schedule
Due to national Remembrance Day observances in Azerbaijan on Sunday, the competitive schedule takes place 24 hours earlier than standard race weekends:
- Friday, September 25: Practice Three at 9:30am, Qualifying at 1:00pm.
- Saturday, September 26: Azerbaijan Grand Prix race at 12:00pm.
