Max Verstappen managed to snatch the top spot from George Russell in the final practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, preventing the Mercedes driver from achieving a clean sweep of the fastest times. The Red Bull star showed a marked improvement on the soft tyre compound, ultimately posting a best lap of 1:43.922, which placed him ahead of Russell by a narrow margin. The session, which took place on a windy Friday afternoon, was characterised by a series of off‑track excursions as the gusty conditions on Baku’s street circuit made it difficult for many drivers to keep their cars under control.
The final practice saw the weather shift from the relatively calm conditions that had prevailed on Thursday, introducing strong, unpredictable gusts that swept across the long straights and tight corners of the Baku circuit. These wind changes not only affected the aerodynamic balance of the cars but also forced drivers to constantly adapt their braking points and throttle application. As a result, several competitors made contact with the barriers or briefly left the racing line, highlighting how demanding the environment was. Mercedes had initially seemed to retain its advantage from Thursday’s smoother session, with Russell posting the fastest time early on.
However, as the hour progressed, Verstappen began to extract more performance from his Red Bull, especially on the softer tyre, which provided greater grip in the lower‑speed sections. By the end of the session, his lap of 1:43.922 was enough to edge out Russell, who finished just 0.099 seconds behind.
Russell’s run was not without drama; he clipped the wall at Turn Seven after a momentary loss of direction, but managed to recover and still secure second place. Behind the leading duo, Ferrari struggled to keep pace for most of the hour. It was only on his final lap that Lewis Hamilton managed to climb into third place, finishing a mere 0.111 seconds off Verstappen’s best time. Hamilton’s improvement was aided by a slipstream effect – a tow from a group of cars on Baku’s extensive pit straight – which gave him a short burst of additional straight‑line speed.
This aerodynamic assistance, combined with the ever‑present wind, is expected to play a crucial role in the upcoming qualifying session, slated to begin at 1 pm and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. "The weather has given us the prospect of a truly fascinating and dramatic qualifying session," remarked David Croft of Sky Sports F1.
"These are not easy conditions by any stretch of the imagination." His comments underline the consensus among teams and commentators that the combination of wind and the circuit’s unique layout will test driver skill and car setup to the limit. Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads Russell by 81 points in the championship standings, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who occupied fifth. Both drivers experienced brief off‑track moments, underscoring the difficulty of maintaining precision under the prevailing conditions.
Three weeks after his stunning pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly delivered a solid performance for Alpine, securing sixth place and outpacing the McLaren pair. Despite McLaren introducing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku weekend, Lando Norris had already ruled the reigning world champions out of pole contention after Thursday’s runs, a prediction that appears to be holding true as the team’s lap times lagged by roughly 0.8 seconds compared to the front‑row pace.
Oscar Piastri claimed seventh fastest, with Norris close behind in eighth. Both drivers were still ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who appears to be regaining his rhythm after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto recorded the tenth‑fastest time in the second Alpine, just ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising signs of improvement on Friday morning. The Williams team is eager to climb out of the congested upper‑midfield and challenge the established midfield contenders.
Lance Stroll’s session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, completing only nine laps before retiring to the run‑off area. His incident highlighted the narrow margins for error on Baku’s street layout, where even a slight misjudgment can result in contact with the barriers. The weekend schedule continues with a packed lineup of support races and events.
On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 is set for 11:10 am, followed by the build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying at 12:30 pm, and the main qualifying session at 1 pm. Later in the day, at 3 pm, Ted’s Qualifying Notebook will provide analysis and insights. Saturday’s agenda includes the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, and the main race itself at noon. The Sunday program will feature a pre‑race build‑up, the race broadcast at 12 pm, a post‑race reaction at 2 pm, and another edition of Ted’s Notebook at 3 pm, all of which will also be available on Sky Sports Main Event.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to race forward, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix forming part of a triple‑header weekend. Fans can stream the action live via Sky Sports F1, with the option to access the channel through NOW, offering a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime subscription. This accessibility ensures that viewers can enjoy the high‑stakes drama of Baku’s windy streets, where the battle for pole position promises to be as unpredictable as the gusts that sweep across the city’s skyline.