Max Verstappen prevented George Russell from achieving a flawless sweep of the fastest times in the final practice session, as Red Bull reignited a fresh challenge to the Mercedes pair before the qualifying session later on Friday at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The final practice on the Baku street circuit was marked by increasingly gusty winds, a hallmark of the venue that added a layer of difficulty to the already demanding, wall‑lined layout. Throughout the hour, several drivers lost control and ran off the track, underscoring how the erratic breezes could turn a routine lap into a precarious venture.
Mercedes had enjoyed a comfortable lead after Thursday’s calmer conditions, with Russell and his teammate posting the quickest sector times. However, as the session progressed, Verstappen began to extract more performance from the soft compound tyres.
By the closing stages he had edged past Russell on the leaderboard, posting a best lap of 1:43.922, a time that placed him at the very top of the timesheet. Russell, who suffered a near‑collision with the barriers at Turn Seven after a brief off‑track excursion, finished just 0.099 seconds behind Verstappen in second place. The narrow margin highlighted how the wind and the narrow margins of error on this circuit could shuffle the order in an instant.
Further down the field, Ferrari struggled to match the pace of the Red Bull‑Mercedes duopoly for most of the session. Yet on his final lap, Lewis Hamilton managed to climb into third place, ending the session a mere 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen’s benchmark.
Hamilton’s late‑stage improvement was aided by a slipstream effect – a tow from cars ahead on Baku’s long pit straight – which gave him a burst of straight‑line speed that proved decisive. Both the aerodynamic tow and the prevailing wind are expected to be critical variables in the upcoming qualifying battle, set to commence at 1 pm and broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. The conditions promise a dramatic showdown for pole position, as drivers will need to balance raw speed with the ability to keep the car stable in the gusts.
"The weather has given us the prospect of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying session," remarked David Croft of Sky Sports F1. "These are not easy conditions by any stretch of the imagination." Young British driver 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, a reminder that even the most skilled pilots can be unsettled by the wind‑swept layout.
Three weeks after his spectacular pole‑winning lap at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated Alpine’s progress by securing sixth place, outpacing the McLaren duo. Despite McLaren bringing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade to Baku, Lando Norris had already signaled that the reigning world champions were unlikely to challenge for pole after Thursday’s runs, a prediction that held true as the team’s lap times trailed the leaders by roughly 0.8 seconds. Oscar Piastri claimed seventh fastest, with Norris following in eighth.
Both drivers were ahead of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who appears to be still regaining full pace after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto delivered a solid performance in the second Alpine, finishing tenth, just ahead of Carlos Sainz in a heavily revised Williams. The updated Williams showed promising signs on Friday morning, suggesting the team is aiming to break into the congested upper‑midfield battle.
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. The weekend schedule continues with a packed program: Friday, September 25, features the F2 Feature Race 1 at 11:10 am, followed by the Azerbaijan GP qualifying build‑up at 12:30 pm, and the main qualifying session at 1 pm, with Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 3 pm.
Saturday, September 26, opens with the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, and the race itself at noon. The Sunday program includes post‑race analysis and a final notebook at 3 pm.
All sessions are also available on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races.
Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with a flexible, contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time. The combination of unpredictable winds, tight walls, and high‑speed straights ensures that the qualifying session will be a true test of driver skill and team strategy, setting the stage for an exciting race weekend in Baku.