Chaos Reigns in Baku: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s Turbulent Practice Session
In a dramatic turn of events at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Lando Norris emerged as the fastest driver in a practice session marred by bizarre interruptions, while his teammate Oscar Piastri faced a rollercoaster of challenges. The hour-long practice on the electrifying Baku Street Circuit was abruptly halted just 13 minutes in due to an unexpected hazard—a strip of rubber dislodged from a kerb at Turn 16 after Carlos Sainz’s Williams hit it hard. The incident left a marshal struggling to clear the debris, leading to a frustrating 26-minute delay as concerns mounted over the kerb’s safety.
For Piastri, the red flag brought a glimmer of hope. Just moments before the session was halted, he was forced back to the garage due to a power unit problem that threatened to sideline him completely. However, thanks to his team’s quick thinking, he was able to return to the track after the delay, missing only a handful of laps compared to his competitors. Despite the rocky start, Piastri showcased resilience, finishing the session in an impressive second place, clocking a time just 0.310 seconds behind Norris, who sailed through the chaos with a relatively smooth run.
But hold your applause—history has a cautionary tale. No driver has ever gone on to win the race after setting the fastest time in the opening practice of this event in the last eight iterations. Norris, currently leading the championship, set the pace with a blistering time of 1:43.747 seconds, placing him four-tenths ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, with Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Yuki Tsunoda also in hot pursuit, all within striking distance on soft tires.
This weekend, Pirelli has opted for a softer compound strategy than last year, adding another layer of complexity to the race. Piastri, on his initial push lap, found himself in P10, lagging 1.105 seconds behind Norris. However, as the session progressed, Norris found another gear, extending his lead to a staggering second with a lap time of 1:42.704 seconds—faster than the best Q1 time set by Leclerc the previous year.
As the clock ticked down, chaos reigned once more. Lewis Hamilton, seeking to make up ground, clipped a wall at Turn 5, sustaining a puncture and damaging his front wing. Meanwhile, Leclerc climbed to second place but still sat 0.552 seconds behind Norris. Russell was hot on Leclerc’s heels, finishing just one-thousandth of a second slower.
The final minutes saw both Verstappen and Piastri facing their own trials. Verstappen had to dodge disaster by veering into an escape road after a lock-up at Turn 3. Piastri, too, found himself in a precarious position, brushing a barrier with his right-rear wheel but managing to continue racing. Ultimately, he set a lap just three-tenths shy of Norris, with Leclerc securing third.
As the dust settled, Russell finished fourth, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon, who had his own mishap early on, losing a piece of his left wing mirror. Tsunoda, Verstappen, and the new Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten, with Hamilton ending up in 13th place.
The session was a tantalizing glimpse into the chaos that awaits in Baku, where the unexpected is the norm, and every corner could unleash drama. As the drivers gear up for the race, one thing is for certain: the stakes have never been higher, and the thrill of Formula 1 racing is about to reach fever pitch!
