McLaren Faces Uphill Battle After Challenging Baku Practice

McLaren endured a 'disruptive' and 'tougher than we wanted' first day of practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leaving drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the back foot heading into qualifying. The team, typically dominant this season, struggled with reliability, driver errors, and track incidents, marking a rare off-day at the Baku Street Circuit.

Why it matters:

McLaren has been on a near-exemplary run this season, on the cusp of securing a second successive constructors' title. A challenging Friday in Baku, however, could jeopardize their momentum and make the fight for pole and race points significantly harder, especially with rivals like Ferrari showing strong pace.

The details:

• Piastri's Power Unit Issue: Oscar Piastri's FP1 session began with a power unit (PU) problem, though it was quickly resolved during a red-flag period caused by a bizarre kerb incident.
• Norris's Suspension Damage: In FP2, Lando Norris hit a wall, damaging his MCL38's left-rear suspension and cutting his session short. This incident, following minor touches with the barriers in FP1, indicated a struggle with the circuit's tight confines.
• Piastri's Contact: Piastri also clipped a barrier heavily later in FP2, compromising his soft-tire, low-fuel run. This prevented the team from demonstrating their true pace.
• Yellow Flag Reprimand: Piastri received his first reprimand of the season from the stewards for failing to adequately slow down under yellow flags.
• Unusual Performance: For the first time this season, McLaren concluded Friday practice without at least one driver in the top three, with Norris and Piastri finishing 10th and 12th respectively.

Between the lines:

Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the 'disruptive' nature of the day, citing 'multiple red and yellow flags' that interrupted both sessions and made it difficult for drivers to find a clean rhythm. Despite the setbacks, Stella noted that the team managed to collect 'important data' for analysis.

What's next:

McLaren will be consolidating their learnings and refining their approach for Saturday's final practice and qualifying sessions. The team expects a 'tight and competitive challenge for pole' and will need to make significant steps forward to counter the strong form shown by competitors, including a surprising one-two for Mercedes, spearheaded by Lewis Hamilton, and a strong showing from Ferrari. Recovering from this 'disruption' will be crucial for their championship aspirations.