Norris finds ‘costly’ limit with crash in FP2 in Baku

Lando Norris confessed his brush with the wall in Friday’s second practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was “a costly one", but the McLaren driver was quick to point out that pushing to the edge is part of the game.

Norris lost control at Turn 4 during his qualifying simulation run on soft tyres, clipping the outside wall and damaging his rear suspension. He managed to limp the car back to the pits, but his session was effectively over, robbing him of valuable long-run data.

With teammate Oscar Piastri also struggling – though luckier to escape Turn 15 with only a scuff – it proved a scrappy afternoon for the papaya squad just as Ferrari threw down a statement of intent at the front.

“A costly one, especially here”

Missing track time in the wake of his mishap leaves Norris on the back foot heading into Saturday’s final practice, especially as F1’s return to Baku has brought a faster surface and trickier tyre choices than in 2024.

“A costly one, especially here. I was feeling good until then. I’d rather have this and push and find the limit than not push at all,” commented the Briton.

“Annoying, I would have liked to get some high-fuel laps in, especially on these tyres, a softer compound compared to last year, but it is what it is and I’ll have to make up for it.

“The track is very different to last year, it’s quicker and a softer compound, which we don’t use that often. We use it in Monaco, Imola. Certainly I’m behind on the learnings now.

“A scrappy session from my side and from Oscar’s side, he seemed to be struggling with the car a bit as well. So we’ll see what we can make up for tomorrow.”

Ferrari and Red Bull threats loom

Heading into the weekend, Norris trails Piastri by 31 points in the drivers’ championship. With McLaren in a position to seal the Constructors’ crown for a second straight year, the stakes are high – and Ferrari’s Friday pace caught his eye.

“They certainty are, they were the quickest here last year, even though Oscar won,” Norris said when asked if Ferrari could be in the fight for pole.

“So I think Ferrari will be quick. Red Bull are going to be quick, they are never good on a Friday but then they go to sleep and wake up and are just fast again.

“I expect a challenge from at least three other cars tomorrow.”

Reflecting on his Friday, Piastri admitted to a tricky afternoon, but one that left the championship leader with “ a lot of positives”.

“Tricky, yeah. A bit up and down,” he said. “The pace is there. It’s just not the easiest to get the most out of it at the moment. That’s the main thing from today.

“We tried a few things in FP2. We will look back and see what we can change for tomorrow. It’s going to be a bit different with tyre choices and stuff like that. I think it’s still a lot of positives from today but a few tricky moments.”

Azerbaijan Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

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