Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's bid for a flawless run of fastest practice times as Red Bull reignited its challenge to the Mercedes pair ahead of Friday's qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The final practice session in Baku was marked by increasingly gusty, unpredictable winds that swept across the street circuit, turning the already demanding layout into a true test of driver skill and car stability. The wind gusts caused several competitors to lose traction and run off the track at various points during the hour-long session.
On Thursday, when the weather was calmer, Mercedes had seemed to dominate the running, posting the quickest laps and setting the tone for the weekend. However, as the wind picked up on Friday, Verstappen found extra grip on the soft compound tyres and began to close the gap to the leading Mercedes drivers. By the end of the session, he had posted a best lap of 1:43.922, edging past Russell to claim the top spot on the timesheet.
Russell, who had a close call with the barriers at Turn Seven after a straight‑line run that sent his car skidding toward the wall, finished just 0.099 seconds slower in second place. His near‑miss highlighted how the erratic breezes were affecting even the most experienced drivers, forcing them to constantly adjust their lines and braking points. Ferrari, which had been trailing the leaders for much of the session, managed to climb back into contention thanks to a late‑stage effort from Lewis Hamilton.
The former Mercedes champion produced a final‑lap time that placed him third, only 0.111 seconds shy of Verstappen's benchmark. Hamilton's lap benefited from a powerful slipstream, or tow, generated by a line of cars ahead of him on Baku's long pit straight. This aerodynamic boost gave him extra straight‑line speed, allowing him to shave crucial tenths off his time.
Both the tow effect and the prevailing wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying session, which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event.
Sky Sports F1 analyst David Croft commented on the conditions, noting, "The weather has brought us the possibility of an absolutely fascinating and dramatic qualifying to come. These are not easy conditions out there by any stretch of the imagination." Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads Russell by 81 points in the drivers' championship, posted the fourth‑quickest time, edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who was fifth. Both Antonelli and Leclerc experienced brief off‑track excursions during the session, underscoring the difficulty of maintaining a clean line in the windy environment. Three weeks after his sensational pole position at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly delivered a strong performance for Alpine, securing sixth place on the board and outpacing the McLaren duo.
Despite McLaren's introduction of a substantial aerodynamic upgrade for the Baku race, Lando Norris had already dismissed the reigning world champions as serious pole contenders after Thursday's practice, a prediction that seemed justified as the team was roughly 0.8 seconds slower than the front‑running cars. Oscar Piastri recorded the seventh‑fastest lap, with Norris close behind in eighth. Both drivers were ahead of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who appeared to be regaining his rhythm after missing three races due to a wrist injury. Franco Colapinto placed tenth in the second Alpine, narrowly ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising improvements during Friday's morning runs.
The Williams team is eager to fight for a spot in the tightly contested upper‑midfield pack. Lance Stroll's session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, resulting in a brief excursion into the runoff area and limiting him to just nine laps. His incident further illustrated how the combination of wind and a narrow street layout can quickly punish even minor mistakes.
The weekend schedule continues with a packed program of support races and qualifying events. On Friday, the F2 Feature Race 1 will kick off at 11:10 a.m., followed by the build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying at 12:30 p.m., and the main qualifying session at 1 p.m. Sky Sports will also feature Ted's Qualifying Notebook at 3 p.m.
Saturday brings the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 a.m., the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself at noon, with the race concluding around 2 p.m. and post‑race analysis later in the afternoon. All of these events will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with the option to watch via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract, allowing viewers to cancel at any time.
The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver excitement, and the Baku street circuit, known for its high‑speed straights and tight corners, promises a thrilling showdown as drivers contend with both the technical demands of the track and the ever‑changing wind conditions.