Mercedes Leads Azerbaijan Practice as McLaren Struggles for Pace...
Mercedes Leads Azerbaijan Practice as McLaren Struggles for Pace
George Russell topped the opening practice action at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two alongside teammate Kimi Antonelli. Russell posted a 1:43.347s lap, aided by a slipstream, while Max Verstappen finished behind the Mercedes pair after a spin at Turn 15.
The session proved more challenging for McLaren, with Lando Norris brushing the wall while Oscar Piastri lost valuable time in the final sector. Norris later admitted that McLaren is currently around 1.5 seconds off the competitive pace, describing the gap as frustrating despite the car itself not feeling fundamentally bad.
McLaren remains confident it can make significant gains overnight, with the team focusing on setup changes and improving driver confidence ahead of qualifying.
For Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson enjoyed a solid return to the team, finishing seventh in FP1 before dropping to 12th in FP2 as the field improved.
Lawson completed 51 laps and gathered valuable data, despite a minor traffic issue involving Lewis Hamilton. His teammate Arvid Lindblad endured a tougher day after crashing during FP2, limiting his running. Team principal Alan Permane nevertheless said the car showed competitive potential, with Racing Bulls targeting both drivers reaching Q3.
As teams moved into longer race simulations, the picture remained mixed, with Mercedes showing strong pace while McLaren faces a significant deficit to overcome before qualifying.
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