George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap as the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, was forced to pull off the track due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, must begin to close the gap to his teammate if he hopes to keep the title fight alive and avoid an early end to his championship aspirations. His strong start in Baku suggests he is ready to take the fight to the leader.
The Mercedes driver benefited from a substantial slipstream generated by Fernando Alonso on his best lap, allowing him to outpace Red Bull's Max Verstappen and both Ferraris by roughly four-tenths of a second. Even before that decisive lap, Russell demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running near the front of the field. Antonelli, meanwhile, lost around 35 minutes of valuable track time when a hydraulic issue forced him to stop his car. The setback means the Italian will head into the second practice session on Thursday at 13:00 GMT with a significant disadvantage.
Antonelli has won the previous two races, but Baku is renowned as one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar, often producing unexpected drama. He is therefore cautious about how quickly his 81‑point lead over Russell—and his more than 100‑point cushion over Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris—could be eroded.
"In terms of Kimi's session, FP1 is the least representative session, so that's a blessing," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger concern is why they had the issue. We knew reliability was a big talking point for Mercedes earlier in the session; it seems to have been in a much better place the last few races especially, but that's going to be the biggest concern." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set their quickest times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be aiming to fight for pole position in Friday's qualifying and to contend for the race win on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull, on the other hand, introduced a series of new components for Baku, including a revised floor, updated side‑pods and modified mirrors.
Verstappen looked particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team is still a serious contender at the front of the grid. If the slipstream advantage that helped Russell achieve his best lap is removed, the picture shows Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari all locked in a tight battle for the top spots.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, more than a second off Russell's pace despite having received aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving high‑speed performance. These upgrades are expected to pay off more on faster, non‑street circuits, giving McLaren ample time to refine their package over the remaining practice sessions. At one stage, Piastri believed his car had sustained damage, but the team found no visible issues.
Norris, meanwhile, has yet to display his true speed, leaving room for improvement as the weekend progresses. Red Bull's young prospect Isack Hadjar, who has been confirmed to stay with the team through 2027, returned to the track for the first time since July after missing three race weekends due to a wrist injury.
Unfortunately, he also lost about 30 minutes of running because of an engine problem, limiting his ability to gather data. Liam Lawson, who is stepping back into the Red Bull junior team, launched from the start line in seventh place, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth.
Esteban Ocon, whose future with Haas looks uncertain as the team is expected to release him for the 2027 season, managed ninth, while Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten. Williams driver Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him little running time. The team has introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend, which could prove beneficial in the later sessions.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed: Thursday, 24 September, features F2 qualifying at 10:55, a team‑bosses press conference at 12:00, the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 13:00, and "The F1 Show" at 14:15. Friday, 25 September, includes the F2 sprint at 5:10, the third practice session at 9:30, the F2 feature race at 11:10, a build‑up to qualifying at 12:30, the qualifying itself at 13:00, and Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 15:00.
Saturday, 26 September, sees the second F2 feature race at 7:55, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix start at 12:00, the chequered flag reaction at 14:00, and Ted's Notebook at 15:00. All events are also streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 throughout the week, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races.
The Baku race is scheduled for Saturday at midday, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract and with the option to cancel at any time. Overall, the first practice session highlighted Russell's ability to extract speed from his Mercedes when aided by a well‑timed slipstream, while also exposing potential reliability concerns for Antonelli's team. As the weekend unfolds, the battle for pole and the race win will hinge on how teams manage their technical issues, optimise their upgrades, and adapt to Baku's unique blend of high‑speed straights and tight, technical sections.
The stage is set for an exciting qualifying and a race that could see the championship order reshuffled, especially if Antonelli's hydraulic problem proves to be a symptom of larger reliability challenges for the leading team.