The first free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix got underway in the sunny streets of Baku, with all drivers eager to get back on track after a week’s break. George Russell, who had missed media duties the day before due to illness, was back in his Mercedes, though he would later report problems during the run.

It didn’t take long for the first incidents. Lando Norris had to return to the pits almost immediately when McLaren realised they had forgotten to remove a cover from his car. Gabriel Bortoleto then overshot Turn 3 and brought out the first yellow flag, though he avoided the barriers.

Soon after, Oscar Piastri was told by his engineer to slow down and recharge, before pulling back into the pits with what turned out to be a power unit problem. He even climbed out of his car as the mechanics got to work. Elsewhere, Alexander Albon lost his left mirror, and Russell reported a strange burning smell from his Mercedes, most likely related to the brakes.

The session was then stopped with a red flag. At first it seemed to be due to debris from Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, but it was soon confirmed that a Williams had damaged the kerb at Turn 16, which needed repairs. This long pause actually worked in McLaren’s favour, as it gave the team time to fix Piastri’s issue without him losing too much track time compared to his rivals.

With 21 minutes left, the green flag waved again and the cars flooded back onto the circuit. Norris set the pace with a time of 1:43.747, with Max Verstappen close behind, only 0.043 seconds slower. But the Red Bull driver wasn’t happy, complaining about his car under braking and even running off into an escape road. Lewis Hamilton was the first driver of the weekend to brush the Baku walls, hitting one at Turn 5 and damaging the front wing of his Ferrari as well as picking up a puncture.

In the final minutes, Piastri was back on track and climbing the order, slotting into second place just behind his teammate. Charles Leclerc secured third for Ferrari, while Russell also struggled with bouncing in his Mercedes. The session ended under yellow flags once again, rounding off a chaotic but entertaining first practice.