Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's attempt to claim a clean sweep of the fastest practice times at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Red Bull mounted a fresh challenge to the Mercedes duo ahead of Friday's qualifying session. The final practice session on the Baku street circuit was marked by increasingly gusty, unpredictable winds that added a new layer of difficulty to an already demanding track lined with unforgiving walls.
These conditions caused a number of drivers to lose control and briefly leave the racing line, resulting in several off‑track excursions throughout the hour‑long session. Mercedes had appeared to retain its Thursday advantage when the weather was calmer, but the Red Bull driver quickly found extra grip on the soft‑compound tyres. Verstappen's lap times began to improve steadily, and he eventually eclipsed Russell's best effort with a blistering lap of 1:43.922, seizing the top spot on the timing sheets.
Russell, who had come perilously close to hitting the barriers at Turn Seven after running straight on, finished just 0.099 seconds behind in second place. Ferrari, which had trailed the leading pack for most of the practice, managed to sneak into the podium positions thanks to a late‑stage surge from Lewis Hamilton. The former Mercedes driver posted a final‑lap time that left him only 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen, placing him third overall. Hamilton's performance was aided by a powerful tow from cars ahead on Baku's long pit straight, which gave him a brief but significant boost in straight‑line speed.
Both the aerodynamic tow and the prevailing wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying battle, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. "The weather has given us the prospect of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying session," commented David Croft of Sky Sports F1.
"These are not easy conditions by any stretch of the imagination." Young British talent Kimi Antonelli, who leads Russell by 81 points in the drivers' championship, posted the fourth‑fastest time, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who occupied the fifth spot. Both drivers experienced brief off‑track moments during the session, underscoring how the windy conditions were testing even the most skilled pilots.
Three weeks after his sensational pole position at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated that his Alpine could still compete at the front by recording the sixth‑quickest lap, outpacing the McLaren pair. Despite McLaren bringing a substantial aerodynamic upgrade to Baku, Lando Norris had already dismissed the reigning world champions as pole contenders after Thursday's runs, and his assessment proved accurate as the team lagged roughly 0.8 seconds per lap behind the leaders. Oscar Piastri claimed seventh place, with Norris following in eighth.
Both drivers were ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who is still regaining full pace after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto occupied the tenth spot in the second Alpine, narrowly ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising signs of improvement in Friday's morning runs. The Williams team appears eager to break into the congested upper‑midfield battle that defines the current season. Aston Martin's Lance Stroll completed only nine laps before colliding with the inside wall at Turn One, forcing him to stop in the runoff area.
His brief outing highlighted the fine line between aggression and caution on a circuit where a single mistake can end a session abruptly. The weekend schedule continues with a packed lineup of support races and qualifying action.
On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 a.m., followed by a build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying at 12:30 p.m. The main qualifying session begins at 1 p.m., with Ted's Qualifying Notebook airing at 3 p.m. Saturday sees the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., and the Grand Prix itself will start at noon, marking a Saturday race for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The day's events will be streamed live on Sky Sports Main Event, with additional commentary and analysis throughout the day. Fans can also look forward to post‑race coverage, including a live reaction segment at 2 p.m.
and Ted's final notebook at 3 p.m., ensuring that the excitement continues well beyond the checkered flag. For viewers who prefer a smoother streaming experience, Sky Sports recommends using the Chrome browser for optimal video playback.
Overall, the final practice session in Baku served as a vivid reminder of how quickly conditions can change on a street circuit and how those changes can reshuffle the competitive order. Verstappen's ability to extract maximum performance from the soft tyres in gusty winds, coupled with Hamilton's strategic tow and Russell's near‑miss with the barriers, set the stage for a highly contested qualifying session. As teams fine‑tune their setups to cope with the wind and the unique demands of the Baku layout, spectators can anticipate a thrilling showdown for pole position, with the potential for further surprises as the race weekend unfolds.