Norris clips Baku wall in FP2 as McLaren’s Friday momentum takes a hit
Lando Norris’ crisp start to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend met the Baku barriers with a thud on Friday afternoon, the McLaren driver damaging his MCL39 in second practice and parking most of his long-run work for the day.
Fresh off topping FP1, Norris was midway through a push lap on used softs when the rear stepped out on throttle at Turn 3. The left-rear kissed the wall with enough force to snap the suspension, the McLaren immediately crabbing down the road as Norris gathered it up and crawled for home.
“I’m in the wall. Tyre’s gone,” came the deadpan radio, before he coaxed the car back to the garage. McLaren’s mechanics had the MCL39 on stands within moments, bodywork peeled off and the left-rear corner in pieces. A return to the session never looked likely.
It’s the kind of moment Baku specializes in: one inch wide, you’re a hero; one inch wrong, you’re nursing a wounded car back to the pits. And for Norris, who’s been intent on tightening the screws on teammate Oscar Piastri in the championship fight, it’s a frustrating interruption to a Friday that started with authority.
Making matters a touch nervy for the papaya camp, Piastri then brushed the wall at Turn 15 a few minutes later, his right-hand side scuffed by the tyre barrier. That one looked more like the standard Baku tap-and-carry-on; after a quick check, McLaren sent him back out and he resumed running.
Elsewhere, Charles Leclerc looked sharp early, peppering the top of the timesheets through the first half of FP2. Lance Stroll also had a moment with the barriers but continued without drama. It was that kind of session: high commitment, hard edges, and just enough jeopardy to keep engineers fidgeting.
For McLaren, the Norris hit chiefly costs mileage. With the car back in one piece and no obvious power unit concerns, the overnight job is about reset and rhythm more than spares triage. But around Baku, long-run data matters—tyre temps, rear stability on traction, and the all-important confidence to lean on the walls. Norris now has to rebuild that feel on Saturday, and do it quickly.
The pace is in the car—FP1 was proof enough—but momentum is a fickle thing here. If he nails the reset, Friday’s bruise will read like a footnote. If not, he may have handed Piastri a small but tangible head start into qualifying.
Official footage of the moment is below.
Now it’s Lando Norris’ turn to bash the barriers 💥
It’s a hefty hit and he’s got damage#F1#AzerbaijanGPpic.twitter.com/ZM354nuX6a
— Formula 1 (@F1)September 19, 2025
The upside for McLaren? The baseline looked good before the scrape. The downside? Baku doesn’t forgive impatience, and Saturday has a way of amplifying any uncertainty you bring into it. Norris has dug himself out of trickier spots this season. He’ll need that same snap-back here.
