Lando Norris was candid after Thursday's practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, describing McLaren's speed as "pretty pants" and making it clear he does not anticipate fighting for pole position. In the second practice session, Norris was a full 1.5 seconds slower than the session leader, George Russell, a gap that highlighted the difficulty the team is having with the tight, 90-degree corners that dominate the Baku street circuit. The British driver noted that despite a substantial upgrade package – featuring new sidepods, a revised engine cover, an updated diffuser and a freshly shaped floor edge – the car has not instantly translated those changes into on‑track performance. "We are miles off.
We are up there relative and in the position we expect to be in but we are 1.5 seconds off the pace. Pretty pants," Norris said, acknowledging his current standing 106 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli with nine races still to run. When pressed about the possibility of narrowing the gap to Mercedes, Norris replied, "I hope so.
I have no idea. We will see what work we can do tonight. The car doesn't feel that bad, so it's a little knife in the heart when you see how far off you are.
I just care about the pace and we are not very fast. I drive whatever car I get given. I just want it to be quick and it's not very quick at the moment." His comments underscored the frustration of having a package that feels decent in the hands but still lacks the outright speed needed to challenge the front‑runners. During the second practice, Norris aborted a fast lap that, according to his team, would likely have brought him within a second of Russell's best time.
Russell, who topped both Thursday sessions, later remarked that while overtaking is possible in Baku, the street circuit still rewards strong qualifying positions because track‑position can be decisive on the narrow, twisty layout. McLaren's technical chief, Rob Marshall, offered a more measured perspective on the new components. He described the situation as "early days" for the eight fresh elements on the car, emphasizing that the team is still learning how to extract the maximum from the upgrades. "You put your package on and you need to learn how to dial it in and I don't think we are there yet," Marshall explained.
He added that the aerodynamic maps appear promising, but the real work lies in fine‑tuning the overall performance. Qualifying is set for Friday at 1 p.m., with the race itself scheduled for Saturday at noon, both events broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. The weekend also includes a full programme of supporting races, such as the Formula 2 sprint and feature events, making the Baku weekend a packed triple‑header.
Mercedes, meanwhile, enjoyed a smoother weekend. George Russell praised his car's competitiveness over a single lap and believed the race pace was closely matched with both McLaren and Red Bull.
He also hinted that the performance gaps would likely shrink further during qualifying. Kimi Antonelli, the points leader, faced a setback with a hydraulic leak in the first practice session and an engine change that cost him an hour of track time before the second session.
Despite these challenges, Antonelli still managed to finish second in the second practice, just half a second shy of his teammate Russell. He described the session as a "good recovery" and expressed optimism for the upcoming qualifying. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, while the closest challenger to Mercedes in the practice data, remained over eight tenths of a second slower than the leading times.
The Dutch driver benefited from a series of upgrades brought to Baku, but the team still has work to do to close the gap to the front‑running Mercedes. Isack Hadjar returned to the Red Bull garage after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury sustained during the summer break.
Confirmed as Verstappen's teammate for the 2027 season, Hadjar also suffered an engine issue in the first practice session, limiting his running. Nevertheless, he reported feeling "pretty happy" with the car's handling and noted that the new package retained the familiar characteristics he liked, describing the experience as "better than when I left it in Budapest." Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both featured in the top five of each practice session, yet the seven‑time world champion highlighted ongoing struggles with tyre performance and straight‑line speed. Hamilton explained that the tyres were "really, really difficult to get to work," with grip fluctuating dramatically from lap to lap. He also admitted that Ferrari's straight‑line speed lagged behind Mercedes, and that the team would need to address both issues before qualifying.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur echoed the sentiment, noting that the sessions were "difficult to read" and that fuel and engine parameters had a larger impact than on a typical circuit. He promised extensive work overnight to find a better balance for the race. The weekend schedule is dense: Friday features an F2 sprint, the third practice session for the Azerbaijan GP, and the F2 feature race, followed by the Grand Prix qualifying build‑up and the qualifying itself. Saturday continues with the F2 feature race, the Grand Prix build‑up, the main race at noon, and post‑race analysis.
All events are streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event, with the option to watch via the Sky Sports app or NOW for a contract‑free experience. Overall, the Baku weekend showcases the stark contrast between teams that have found a rhythm quickly – like Mercedes and Red Bull – and those still searching for the right setup, such as McLaren and Ferrari.
As the championship enters its final third, each point becomes increasingly vital, and the ability to adapt to the unique challenges of a street circuit like Baku could prove decisive in the battle for the title.