Lando Norris went quickest in the opening practice session for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, beating championship-leading McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by three tenths of a second at the end of a session that was halted for more than 20 minutes due to a problem with kerbing on the 6km-long track. 

At the start of the session, a steady stream of cars left the pit lane as drivers sought to get an early read on the track conditions. However, within moments of heading out on track there was a problem for championship leader Oscar Piastri. 

The Australian was told to keep his revs low and return to the garage. Once there the engine cover was removed and his mechanics began to work on his car. 

There was brief trouble for his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris too. The Briton also returned to the garage to have a cover removed from a pitot tube that had been attached to his car. With the problem fixed Norris went out and soon jumped to the top of the timesheet with a time of 1:43.747. 

That put him four tenths clear of Mercedes George Russell who returned to the cockpit after missing media day in Baku due to illness. Four-time Baku polesitter Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari SF-25 into an early third place, while Italian Grand Prix winner Max Versatppen made his way to P4. 

The session was then halted when debris was spotted at Turn 16. With a piece of rubber that had become dislodged from a kern requiring repair, the red flags were shown 13 minutes into the session. 

After a 25-minute delay the session resumed and with the issue on his McLaren fixed, Piastri headed out and quickly posted a time of 1:44.852 to jump from 20th to ninth. 

Verstappen also found a rapid improvement, closing to just 0.043s off Norris’s early table topper to take P2, a little over two tenths clear of Russell. 

With 12 minutes remaining, Norris bolted on a fresh set of Soft tyres and he extended his lead, posting a lap of 1:42.704 to put 1.006s between himself and Verstappen. Piastri also found more time, improving to 1:43.863 to move to P3 a little over a tenth off Verstappen. 

With 10 minutes remaining Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, sitting in ninth place, clipped the wall on the inside at Turn 5, breaking his front wing and puncturing the front left tyres. He returned to the pit lane for repairs. 

Leclerc then jumped to second place on a time of 1:43.256, but Piastri was finding more time and despite clipping the wall in Turn 15 with his rear right wheel he moved to P2, 0.310s off Norris. 

With Leclerc in third and Russell just behind, Verstappen slipped back as he was also bypassed by Williams’ Alex Albon and the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda who had used a second set of Softs to claim P6 ahead of his Dutch team-mate. 

Verstappen also fitted a second set of Softs but his lap was wrecked when he locked up into Turn 15 and was forced to take the escape road. The Dutchman pivoted and continued and was soon on the radio complaining that his car was bottoming out badly on the bumpy track. He ended the session in P7, five hundredths of a second off his team-mate. 

Eighth place in the session went to Carlos Sainz in the other Williams with Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar taking the final two top-10 places. 
 

2025 FIA Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Free Practice 1
1 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:42.704 19 210.418
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:43.014 0.310 14 209.785
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:43.256 0.552 17 209.293
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:43.257 0.553 16 209.291
5 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:43.563 0.859 17 208.672
6 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:43.738 1.034 16 208.320
7 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 1:43.790 1.086 15 208.216
8 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:43.859 1.155 17 208.078
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:43.903 1.199 17 207.990
10 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 1:43.975 1.271 17 207.846
11 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:43.985 1.281 17 207.826
12 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 1:43.986 1.282 18 207.824
13 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:44.087 1.383 14 207.622
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 1:44.087 1.383 18 207.622
15 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:44.139 1.435 15 207.518
16 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:44.151 1.447 17 207.494
17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 1:44.329 1.625 15 207.140
18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:44.439 1.735 15 206.922
19 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Renault 1:45.299 2.595 14 205.232
20 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 1:45.418 2.714 17 205.00