George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire temporarily due to a hydraulic failure on the Baku street circuit. Russell, who currently trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, must begin narrowing that gap quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive. His strong showing in Baku suggests he is ready to mount a serious challenge. During the session, Russell benefited from a substantial slipstream provided by Fernando Alonso on his fastest lap.
This aerodynamic boost allowed him to post a time that was roughly four-tenths of a second quicker than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two Ferraris, demonstrating that the Mercedes car still possesses significant one‑lap pace. Russell had already displayed impressive speed earlier in the hour, indicating that the team’s recent upgrades are beginning to pay dividends. Antonelli’s day was less fortunate.
After completing a respectable number of laps, a hydraulic issue forced him to stop on track, costing him around 35 minutes of valuable running time. The interruption will leave the Italian rookie at a disadvantage heading into the second practice session, scheduled for Thursday at 13:00 GMT and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
Despite his recent form—he has claimed victory in the last two races—Baku’s demanding layout is notorious for producing unexpected drama, and Antonelli will be keenly aware that his sizeable 81‑point lead over Russell and a more than 100‑point cushion ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could evaporate quickly if reliability problems persist. "FP1 is the least representative session for Kimi," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "That’s a small mercy.
The bigger story is why the problem occurred. We heard reliability was a hot topic for Mercedes earlier in the weekend; they’ve seemed to improve over the last few races, but this incident will certainly raise eyebrows." Meanwhile, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc each set their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, positioning themselves as potential front‑runners for Saturday’s qualifying and the race itself. Red Bull, not to be outdone, arrived in Baku with a suite of new aerodynamic components, including a revised floor, updated side‑pods, and altered mirrors. Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting that the team’s development direction is bearing fruit.
If you strip away the slipstream advantage that helped Russell, the data still indicates a close battle among Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari for the top step of the grid. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, despite benefiting from recent upgrades, found themselves sixth and fourteenth respectively, each more than a second off Russell’s best time. Their upgrades are primarily aerodynamic and are expected to deliver greater benefit on high‑speed, non‑street circuits; Baku’s tight, twisty sections limit the immediate impact of those changes, leaving the team with plenty of work to do in the remaining practice sessions. Piastri at one point believed he had sustained damage to his car, but the engineers reported no visible issues.
Norris, on the other hand, has yet to reveal his true speed potential, and both drivers will be looking to extract more performance before qualifying. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who secured a contract extension through 2027, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury. Unfortunately, his run was cut short by an engine problem that cost him roughly 30 minutes of track time.
This development opened the door for Liam Lawson, who stepped into the Racing Bulls seat and quickly moved into seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth. Further down the order, Esteban Ocon—who is expected to lose his Haas seat next season—finished ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto took tenth. Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident caused only a brief loss of running time, and the team introduced a significant upgrade package that could prove pivotal later in the weekend.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed. On Thursday, September 24, the day will feature an F2 qualifying session at 10:55, a team bosses’ press conference at 12:00, the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 12:30 (starting at 13:00), and the F1 Show at 14:15.
Friday, September 25, includes the F2 sprint at 5:10, the third practice session for the GP at 9:15 (starting at 9:30), the F2 feature race at 11:10, a build‑up to qualifying at 12:30, and finally the Grand Prix qualifying itself at 13:00, followed by a post‑qualifying analysis at 15:00. Saturday, September 26, will host the second F2 feature race at 7:55, a Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30, the main race at 12:00, a chequered‑flag reaction segment at 14:00, and a final notebook recap at 15:00. All events will also be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as a critical juncture in the championship battle.
With the race slated for Saturday midday, fans can follow the action live via Sky Sports F1 or stream through NOW, which offers a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime option. The combination of high‑speed straights, tight corners, and a history of unpredictable incidents makes Baku a true test of both driver skill and team reliability, and the outcomes of the practice sessions hint at a thrilling weekend ahead for teams and supporters alike.