George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap as championship leader Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire temporarily after a hydraulic failure halted his car on the track. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, needs to start narrowing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep the title fight alive; his strong start in Baku suggests he may be able to do just that. The Mercedes driver benefited from a powerful slipstream behind Fernando Alonso on his best lap, allowing him to edge out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by roughly four tenths of a second. Even before that decisive lap, Russell had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, signaling that the Mercedes chassis is well‑suited to the high‑speed, low‑downforce demands of the Baku street circuit.
Antonelli, who had been dominating the early part of the weekend, lost approximately 35 minutes of valuable track time when his car’s hydraulic system failed, forcing him to pull off the racing line. The setback means the Italian will have to fight harder in the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 13:00, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
Despite his recent success – he has won the last two Grand Prix – Baku is notorious for its unforgiving layout and the propensity for unexpected incidents, so Antonelli is likely to be cautious about preserving his sizeable lead. He currently enjoys an 81‑point advantage over Russell and a margin of more than 100 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, but any reliability issue could quickly erode those cushions. "Regarding Kimi’s performance, the first practice is often the least indicative of race pace, which is a small relief for him," noted Jamie Chadwick of Sky Sports F1. "The bigger question is why the hydraulic problem occurred.
Earlier in the weekend, reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes, but they seemed to have sorted most of those concerns in recent races. This new issue will undoubtedly become a focal point for the team moving forward." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc each set their quickest laps on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be aiming to fight for pole position during Friday's qualifying and, ultimately, for victory on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, meanwhile, introduced a suite of new components for the Baku weekend, including an updated floor, revised side‑pods, and fresh mirror designs. Verstappen appeared particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team’s aerodynamic upgrades are paying dividends.
If one removes the advantage Russell gained from Alonso’s slipstream, the front‑running order appears to be a close contest between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, both more than a second off Russell’s best time despite recent aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving high‑speed performance. The British outfit’s developments are primarily focused on enhancing airflow on fast, non‑street circuits, meaning they still have ample opportunity to extract performance in the remaining practice sessions.
At one stage, Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the team reported no visible issues after inspection. Norris, on the other hand, has yet to unleash his full speed potential, which could be a factor in the upcoming qualifying runs.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, confirmed to stay with the team through 2027, returned to the garage for the first time since July after missing the previous three race weekends due to a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he also suffered an engine failure that cost him roughly 30 minutes of running time. This development paved the way for Liam Lawson to step back into the Racing Bulls lineup, where he launched from the seventh position on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad occupying eighth. Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him after the season, managed to qualify ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth place.
Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident caused only a brief interruption and did not significantly affect his overall track time. The team has introduced a substantial upgrade package this weekend, which could prove pivotal in the remaining practice days. The schedule for the weekend is packed with action: Thursday sees the second practice session at 13:00, followed by the F1 Show at 14:15. Friday’s agenda includes the F2 Sprint at 05:10, the third practice session at 09:30, the F2 Feature Race, and the build‑up to qualifying, which kicks off at 13:00.
Saturday will host the F2 Feature Race 2, the Grand Prix build‑up, and the main event – the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – starting at midday, with post‑race analysis later in the afternoon. Sunday concludes the weekend with the race recap and further commentary. All of this action will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to stream via NOW without a long‑term contract, allowing fans to cancel at any time.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver high‑octane drama, and Baku’s unique blend of long straights, tight corners, and frequent safety‑car periods promises to keep the championship battle both unpredictable and exhilarating.