The Formula 1 race in Baku always delivers moments of breathtaking drama, and this past Friday’s free practice was no exception. With its narrow turns, dizzying speeds, and challenging barriers, the Baku city circuit once again witnessed a series of shocking events, from an unexpected penalty for Oscar Piastri and a unfortunate crash for Lando Norris, to a promising performance from Lewis Hamilton. Together, these incidents have painted a vibrant and tense picture, setting high expectations for the remainder of the race weekend.

A Tumultuous Practice for McLaren: From Norris’s Crash to Piastri’s Penalty

For the McLaren team, Friday in Baku was a challenging and far from smooth practice day. Despite being known for having the fastest car on the grid, McLaren seemed to struggle significantly on Friday afternoon, especially with their two main drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris, who had set the fastest pace in the morning session, had a grueling second free practice. His session lasted a mere 30 minutes before a serious incident occurred. While exiting Turn 4, Norris hit the wall hard, damaging the left rear of his car. The sight of the car limping back to the pits at a crawl left fans deeply concerned. Once back in the garage, Norris could not continue the session, causing him to miss out on crucial long runs—a key element for gathering data on car performance under race conditions.

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins pointed out the potential danger from the crash: “The biggest risk is the driveshaft, which delivers power from the gearbox to the rear wheel, could have moved and punctured the gearbox.” She recalled a similar incident that happened to Charles Leclerc in Monaco in 2021. Although engineers can lock the differential in the gearbox to ensure the car’s safe return to the pits, the loss of track time is unavoidable. Norris, though expressing disappointment, remained optimistic: “It was a costly one, but it was feeling good until then. I would rather feel like this and find the limits than not push at all.” Nevertheless, missing the long runs is a significant setback for McLaren, affecting their analysis and strategy adjustments for the main race.

The trouble didn’t stop there. Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri, also failed to have a clean session. Shortly after Norris’s incident, Piastri hit the wall at Turn 15. Although he was able to continue, he later made a major mistake by locking up his tires on another lap. As a result, Piastri finished the second practice in 12th place, unable to complete a representative soft-tire run before shifting focus to heavier fuel race simulations.

More notably, Piastri was later summoned to the stewards following the second practice session for an alleged yellow flag infringement. In a session filled with yellow flags, Piastri was investigated for failing to slow down as required. Specifically, he was accused of breaching Appendix H, Article 2.5b of the International Sporting Code. After review, the stewards issued Piastri a reprimand—his first of the season.

The stewards’ verdict explained: “A yellow flag was displayed at Marshall Post 1.2 and a green light was shown at light panel 3. Drivers had been instructed that if they see a green light they must take the action required under a yellow flag condition, even if they had not been shown the yellow flag.” In Piastri’s case, he had passed Marshall Post 1.2 when the yellow flag was first shown but was able to see the green light at panel 3. The yellow flag was withdrawn less than a second after the green light became visible. While technically a breach of the regulations occurred, due to the mitigating circumstances, the penalty was reduced to a reprimand, consistent with previous similar incidents. Even so, the penalty serves as a stern reminder of the importance of adhering to safety regulations on the track.

Ferrari Shines and Hamilton’s Surprising Performance

In stark contrast to McLaren, Ferrari had a very successful Friday in Baku, especially in the afternoon. They achieved an impressive one-two in the second free practice session, demonstrating the strong potential of their SF-25 car on this circuit.

Charles Leclerc, known for his exceptional speed in Baku and having secured pole position here several times in recent years, continued to prove his prowess with impressive times throughout the day. However, the biggest surprise came from Lewis Hamilton, who set the fastest time in the second free practice. On the soft tires, Hamilton clocked a best lap of 1 minute 41.293 seconds, just marginally faster than the McLaren.

This achievement was particularly noteworthy after Hamilton mentioned on Thursday that he and the team had “found a couple of things” to help him get on top of the SF-25. His performance on track proved it, as Hamilton looked very strong on both soft and medium tires. Despite a minor brush with the wall in the first practice, it was a positive Friday for both Hamilton and Ferrari. This signals significant progress for the Italian team and promises an exciting race weekend where Ferrari could be a serious contender at the front.

Predicting the Showdown Between Ferrari and McLaren

After Friday’s events, the battle for pole position and victory in Baku is expected to be a thrilling showdown between Ferrari and McLaren. Although McLaren faced difficulties in practice, their ability to bounce back should not be underestimated. With what is considered the fastest car, McLaren will undoubtedly be looking to return to the top in qualifying.

However, Ferrari has shown they are a formidable opponent. With Leclerc’s confidence on this track and Hamilton’s strong performance, Ferrari has every chance to challenge McLaren. Many experts predict a very close qualifying session between the two teams. While McLaren may have an advantage in long-run race pace, Ferrari has demonstrated incredible explosive speed over a single fast lap. This sets the stage for a dramatic Saturday, where every hundredth of a second will be decisive.

The Importance of Lessons Learned from Practice

The incidents and results from Friday’s free practice are critically important for the teams. For McLaren, Norris missing his long runs means they have less data to analyze tire performance and fuel strategy. This forces the team to rely more heavily on Piastri’s data (despite his own struggles) and past experience to make crucial decisions. Piastri’s reprimand also serves as a reminder of the focus and caution required on track, especially during yellow flag situations.

Conversely, Ferrari can capitalize on their stable performance and superior pace. The data they collected will help them optimize car setup and race strategy. Hamilton’s newfound confidence and synergy with the SF-25 is also a major positive, raising hopes for a stronger result for Ferrari.

Baku, with its unique combination of high-speed straights and tricky technical sections, is always a massive challenge for every driver and team. Friday’s events are just the beginning of what promises to be a dramatic race weekend. Fans have every reason to look forward to a tense qualifying and an unpredictable main race, where every mistake can be costly and every opportunity must be seized perfectly.