RACE INFORMATION
- Track: Baku City Circuit
- Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
- Race laps: 51
- Lap length: 6.003 km
- Race distance: 306.049 km
- Lap Record: 1:43.009, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 2019
LAST TIME AROUND
- Pole position: Charles Leclerc, 1:41.365 (Ferrari)
- Race winner: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Fastest lap: 1:45.225, Lando Norris (McLaren)
Practice 1 at the Baku City Circuit delivered the full range of drama we’ve come to expect from Azerbaijan — red flags, loose kerbs, stray car parts, garage confusion, and even a paddock cat cameo.
FP1 Classification
- Lando Norris – 1:42.704
- Oscar Piastri
- Charles Leclerc
- George Russell
- Alexander Albon
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Max Verstappen
- Carlos Sainz
- Liam Lawson
- Isack Hadjar
Kerb Damage, Red Flags, and Piastri’s Recovery
The session was disrupted early when rubber on the Turn 16 kerb came loose, forcing lengthy stoppages. Carlos Sainz was the unlucky driver to dislodge it, with his Ferrari appearing to scrape its diffuser in the process. The situation was embarrassing for circuit officials, who have now suffered back-to-back years of infrastructure failures. Still, the timing of the red flag ended up working in Oscar Piastri’s favor, his earlier engine problem meant limited running, but the stoppage negated the disadvantage and allowed him back out to secure P2.
A Garage Detour for Sainz
Sainz’s difficult session didn’t end there. In one of the more surreal moments, he mistakenly pulled into the Alpine garage, confusing their blue race shirts for Ferrari’s crew at high pit-lane speed. Though he quickly realized the error, the pit lane procedure meant he had to go through the full reset before rejoining. The mix-up highlighted just how similar team branding can look in the paddock, and how easy it is to make a split-second error when approaching at speed.
Albon’s Flying Mirror
Alexander Albon’s session was equally chaotic. Running solidly in P5, his left-hand mirror glass detached and flew off at high speed. It was only the glass rather than the full housing, but it marked yet another instance of Williams’ car literally shaking itself apart under load. The team suffered a similar issue in Qatar last season, and Ferrari and McLaren have also had mirror failures in recent weekends. While a minor setback, it continues a strange trend of component durability challenges across the grid.
Williams Reliability vs. Sainz’s Misfortune
Albon’s pace was a reminder of a familiar Williams pattern: promising speed on Friday, an uphill battle in qualifying, and then somehow clawing back points on Sunday. He’s become one of a small group of drivers, alongside Stroll, Ocon, and Hülkenberg, who regularly appear in the points from seemingly nowhere. By contrast, Sainz’s season has been defined by extremes: either a mechanical issue or an accident. Today’s kerb incident and Alpine detour were just the latest chapters in that narrative.
Mercedes, Verstappen, and Hadjar
George Russell placed fourth but Mercedes struggled with heavy bottoming on the main straight, while Lewis Hamilton clipped the wall during one of his runs. Max Verstappen aborted a quick lap after locking up behind Yuki Tsunoda, leaving him down in seventh. While the moment looked scrappy, Verstappen has traditionally gone well around Baku, winning in 2022 and finishing second in 2023, so this FP1 blip is unlikely to reflect his true pace for the weekend. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz again found himself in the thick of things after impeding Isack Hadjar, continuing their growing on-track friction.
Alpine’s Ongoing Woes
Alpine’s struggles were plain to see. Running a Monza-style rear wing left them slow in the first two sectors, while their underpowered Renault engine meant they were still vulnerable on Baku’s enormous straights. The team continues to suffer from both a horsepower deficit and an uncompetitive chassis, a combination that makes them look increasingly lost in the midfield battle. The gap from Franco Colapinto’s Alpine to the next car was nearly a full second, underlining the scale of the challenge.
Baku’s Unique Backdrop
Despite the chaotic session, the backdrop of Baku once again stood out. The low sun glinting off historic architecture through the castle section and leafy streets highlighted why this race remains one of the most visually striking on the calendar. Even in a disrupted session, the circuit delivered a spectacle that other tracks can rarely match.
Takeaway: FP1 in Baku was defined by stoppages and slapstick. Norris set the early pace for McLaren, Piastri showed resilience after engine issues, and Williams impressed again despite Albon’s flying mirror. Sainz endured a session to forget with kerb damage, pit-lane confusion, and an incident with Hadjar. Alpine looked adrift, Mercedes bounced their way down the straights, and Verstappen’s off was more anomaly than omen given his strong record here. In short: Baku has already lived up to its reputation, and qualifying promises to be just as unpredictable.