Lewis Hamilton led a Ferrari 1-2 in Friday’s practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the day’s biggest headline was a costly crash for McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Norris, who is 31 points behind teammate Oscar Piastri in the championship, hit the wall and damaged his car during a qualifying simulation run.
The incident ended his session early, preventing him from completing important high-fuel laps. Despite the setback, teammate Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc both suggested that McLaren’s pace was deceptively strong.
Hamilton, who has been working on his braking confidence with Ferrari, said he was “really happy to see the progress coming through.”
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished sixth but remained optimistic about the weekend ahead.
