Promisingly, in the truncated FP1 session Lawson also topped the leaderboard for sector three, the fastest part of the track, just 0.007s quicker than Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was good,\u201d said Lawson. \u201cI haven\u2019t driven here for a few years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very different to what I remember here from Formula Two. But I think they did a good job at cleaning the track.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s started quite grippy, we\u2019re doing qualifying times, nearly. Maybe even faster, which helps a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cMonza was difficult for us, but not a true representation of pace. We just had a tough weekend, but had everything gone well, we should have been in the top 10.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pushing for that, and the car\u2019s been very consistent recently. There\u2019s no reason why we shouldn\u2019t be [in the top 10], we just have to keep chasing it with everyone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see what we get tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
On a weekend where McLaren can seal the constructors championship, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had issues on the first day of the race weekend. <\/p>\n
World championship leader Piastri was forced to sit out of most of FP1 with an engine issue, and lost vital time on track, while Norris went wide at turn four in FP2 and hit the wall to be left with damaged suspension.<\/p>\n
Norris was still able to top the timesheet in FP1, while Ferrari\u2019s Lewis Hamilton did the same in the second and set the fastest time of the day, 1m 41.293s. <\/p>\n
Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari teammate Leclerc was 0.074s back, as he hunts a sixth consecutive pole position when qualifying begins on Sunday morning (local time).<\/p>\n
Lawson started the second session with a scare, when he went too deep at turn 15 and was forced to use the escape road, triggering a yellow flag for his troubles.<\/p>\n
Once he\u2019d recovered from that, though, Lawson\u2019s best mark of 1m 41.989s was 0.696s off Hamilton\u2019s time.<\/p>\n
Lawson\u2019s mark made him the second-best of Red Bull\u2019s four cars, sitting just 0.087s off world champion Max Verstappen in sixth. His time, though, was still 0.454s faster than Hadjar and 0.455s quicker than Yuki Tsunoda, who were 13th and 14th. <\/p>\n
Norris and Piastri could only manage 10th and 12th, 0.906s and 1.002s off Hamilton\u2019s time respectively.<\/p>\n
Earlier, in FP1, a problem with the curb coming unstuck at turn 16 led to a lengthy delay that wiped out nearly half of the session.<\/p>\n
That left all 20 drivers only able to set times on soft tyres, as Lawson was able to record the ninth-best effort of the opening session, getting around the circuit in 1m 43.903s. <\/p>\n
Liam Lawson in practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Photo \/ Red Bull<\/p>\n
The Kiwi\u2019s effort was 1.199s off the pace set by Norris, who crossed the line in 1m 42.704s, as Lawson still managed 17 laps. <\/p>\n
That time, though, was still 0.072s quicker than Hadjar in 10th, as the Frenchman struggled with the tight nature of the Baku circuit, including braking too late at turn five and being forced to use the escape road.<\/p>\n
The rookies weren\u2019t the only drivers to have issues either, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a punctured tyre after damaging his own front wing, on his way to setting the 13th-best time.<\/p>\n
After having his own session cut by engine issues as well as the red flag, Piastri was able to post the second-fastest time of FP1, albeit 0.310s off Norris.<\/p>\n
As he fights for his own future in the sport, Tsunoda was able to better teammate Verstappen by 0.052s, as the Red Bulls finished in sixth and seventh respectively. <\/p>\n
Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix begins at midnight on Sunday (NZ time). <\/p>\n