“Costly” mistake as Norris hits wall in Baku practice

Written by Chloe Buckley

Lando Norris during FP2 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Credit: @McLarenF1 via X

After topping the first practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, Lando Norris went into Free Practice 2 confident before he made an unfortunate error costing him the chance of taking the lead in the second session.

At the tight and twisty street circuit of Baku, Norris flew into Turn 4 where his rear left tyre hit the wall on the exit. He managed to limp the car back to the McLaren garage, but missed out on the rest of the session at a race where track time and practice is essential.

Following the incident, Norris said: “[The mistake was] a costly one, especially here [in Baku]. I was feeling good until then. I would rather feel like this and push the limits than to not push at all.

“I’d like to have got some high fuel laps in especially on these tyres, the softer compound compared to last year but it is what it is. I’ll have to make up for it.

While Norris sat out for the remaining 30 minutes of FP2 and finished 10th fastest, Lewis Hamilton outpaced Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to top the session.

Norris currently sits second in the Drivers' standings, 31 points behind his McLaren teammate and Championship leader, Oscar Piastri, who also had a rocky Friday in Baku. Similarly to Norris, Piastri bumped the wall at Turn 15 but managed to avoid damage. He ended the session in 12th, two places below Norris.

Despite the low point for Norris this Friday, he will be aiming to bounce back in Saturday's FP3 and Qualifying, where precision around the narrow city streets of Baku could make all the difference for Sunday's Grand Prix.