2025 Azerbaijan GP: FP1 Report and Analysis

Racing Statistics
Sep 20
2 min read

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025

Session: Free Practice 1 (Round 17)

Circuit: Baku City Circuit (Azerbaijan)

McLaren came out flying on the streets of Baku, locking out the top two in the opening practice session for the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lando Norris set the pace with a 1:42.704, ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.310s, while Charles Leclerc put Ferrari third, 0.552s off the benchmark.

Chart comparing Ideal vs Best Laps for drivers at 2025 Azerbaijan GP FP1. Green dots for ideal, white for best, listed by seconds. — 2025 Azerbaijan GP FP1 Ideal vs Best Lap

Red flags, brushed walls, and a few off-track excursions kept things lively in a stop-start FP1.

Azerbaijan GP FP1 Headlines at a Glance

McLaren takes early control

Norris P1 – 1:42.704, Piastri P2 (+0.310).
A confident one-two suggests the MCL’s low-drag package is immediately on song around Baku’s flat-out blasts and tight castle section.

Ferrari in the hunt

Leclerc P3 (+0.552) keeps Ferrari in touch. With Ferrari’s historic qualifying strength here, expectation builds for Saturday’s shootout.

Bar chart displaying FP1 sector times for Azerbaijan GP 2025. Sectors 1-3 have red, blue, and yellow bars. Best lap times in gray. — 2025 Azerbaijan GP Sector Times and Results

Red Bull on the back foot

Yuki Tsunoda P6 – 1:43.738, Max Verstappen P7 after running wide on a push lap.
Early days, but execution and grip looked a touch scruffy versus McLaren.

Red flag and track repairs

A damaged curb near Turn 16 triggered a lengthy red flag (~26 minutes lost).
Teams had to re-jig run plans, compressing soft-tyre laps into the closing minutes.

Hamilton brushes the wall

Lewis Hamilton (P12) clipped the wall and damaged a front wing and tyre.
No major harm done; Mercedes still banked mileage, but peak pace remains to be uncovered.

Bar chart of top speeds in Azerbaijan GP FP1. Speed ranges from 332 to 347 km/h. Various colored bars for different drivers' speeds. — 2025 Azerbaijan GP Top Speeds in FP1

Midfield movers

Alex Albon (Williams) P5 impressed, while Racing Bulls landed both cars in the top ten (Liam Lawson P9, Isack Hadjar P10).
Tough start for Pierre Gasly (P19) and Franco Colapinto (P20), anchoring the timesheets.

What we learned

McLaren’s traction & top-end look competitive straight away, crucial for Baku’s stop-and-go profile and 2.2 km main straight.
Ferrari’s one-lap promise is intact; long-run clarity will come in FP2 once track temps stabilize and fuel loads even out.
Red Bull have time to tidy up balance and braking stability; Verstappen’s off hints at a narrow operating window early on.
Midfield volatility continues: Williams and Racing Bulls maximized a messy session, while Alpine and others have setup work to do.

The red flag factor

A chunk of FP1 vanished to curb repairs at Turn 16, forcing teams into compressed soft-tyre sprints at the end. Expect reshuffling in FP2 when programs normalize and rubber levels improve.

Looking ahead

FP2: Race runs and high-fuel data will matter more than headline times. Keep an eye on deg on the C5/C4 range and who unlocks confidence on the bumpy braking zones.
Qualifying outlook: Slipstream games down the Baku straight are back on the menu; timing a tow could swing the front row. McLaren vs Ferrari is the early story—can Red Bull close the gap overnight?

Quick stats

Session: FP1, Azerbaijan GP (Round 17)
Circuit Length: 6.003 km
Fastest: Norris (McLaren) – 1:42.704
Biggest delay: ~26 minutes (red flag, Turn 16 curb repairs)

Watch Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Live with us on YouTube:

F1 Live - Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Live with Commentary and Live Timings