Lando Norris reflected on the second free practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with mixed feelings on Friday, after contact with the wall damaged the suspension of his McLaren, forcing him to prematurely end the session. However, he stated that he would rather push the limits than drive too cautiously.
“I felt good until that moment, so I’d rather push to find the limit than not push at all,” Norris said. “I would have liked to have driven a few more laps with a lot of fuel, especially on these softer tyres compared to last year, but it is what it is.”
Due to the crash, Norris missed valuable data, which he says is difficult now that the Baku City Circuit has different tyre compositions this year. “I am indeed falling behind in preparation. This was a messy session on my part, but I think also on Oscar Piastri‘s (his teammate) part. He also seemed to be having some trouble with the car. We’ll see what we can fix tomorrow.”
‘Red Bull is never good on Fridays’
Looking ahead to the rest of the weekend, Lando Norris expects a fierce battle with several competitors. He counts Ferrari and Max Verstappen among the favourites. Lewis Hamilton finished FP2 on Friday as the fastest for Ferrari, ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen finished in sixth place.
Regarding the chances of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Norris was adamant: “Red Bull is never good on Fridays. They go to sleep, wake up the next morning and then they’re just fast again. I expect competition from at least three other cars in the qualification on Saturday.”
