Baku : Lando Norris set the fastest time in first practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which was stopped for 25 minutes after a red flag for track repairs.
His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, the World Championship leader, was second, 0.310s behind, after suffering a power unit issue on his opening lap before hitting the tyre barrier at Turn 15 without major damage to his car.
Norris clocked a 1:42.704, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third, 0.552s adrift, just ahead of George Russell in the Mercedes who was 0.001s behind Leclerc.
Williams’ Alex Albon took fifth, followed by Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and four-time World Champion Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz was eighth for Williams, with Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar completing the top ten.
Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, hit the barriers, damaging his front wing and suffering a puncture, ending the session in 13th place.
