George Russell claimed the fastest time in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli was forced to halt his run after a hydraulic failure halted his car on the circuit. Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, needs to start narrowing that gap quickly if he hopes to keep his title hopes alive and avoid an early end to the season-long battle.
His strong showing in Baku could be a turning point. The Mercedes driver benefited from a powerful slipstream behind Fernando Alonso on his quickest lap, allowing him to edge out Red Bull's Max Verstappen and both Ferrari entries by roughly four-tenths of a second. Even before that, Russell had demonstrated impressive pace throughout the session, consistently posting times near the top of the leaderboard.
Antonelli's session was dramatically curtailed when a hydraulic issue forced him to stop after about 35 minutes of running. The setback means he will start the second practice session on Thursday with a significant disadvantage, needing to recover lost track time and confidence.
The young Italian has won the previous two races, but Baku's street layout is notoriously demanding and often produces unexpected drama. With an 81‑point lead over Russell and more than a 100‑point cushion ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, Antonelli is aware that a single mechanical failure can quickly erode his advantage. "FP1 is the least representative session for Kimi, which is a bit of a relief," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger question is why the reliability issue occurred.
We knew Mercedes had been talking about reliability earlier in the weekend, but they seemed to have sorted it over the last few races. This will be the main concern moving forward." Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their best times on the medium‑compound tyres, suggesting they will be in the mix for pole position on Friday and will aim for the race win on Saturday afternoon. Red Bull introduced several new components for Baku, including an updated floor, revised sidepods and fresh mirror designs.
Verstappen looked very quick on the hard tyres early in the session, indicating the team may have a competitive package despite the updates. If the slipstream advantage Russell enjoyed on his fastest lap is removed, the front‑running order appears to be a tight battle between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified sixth and fourteenth respectively, both more than a second off Russell's pace despite having received aerodynamic upgrades aimed at improving high‑speed performance on circuits like Baku.
McLaren's upgrades are primarily aerodynamic, which tend to deliver the greatest benefit on fast, non‑street circuits. The team still has ample time to refine these parts over the remaining practice sessions. At one point, Piastri thought his car had sustained damage, but engineers found nothing abnormal.
Norris, meanwhile, has yet to reveal his full speed potential. Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, confirmed to stay with the team through 2027, returned to the garage 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. This opened the door for Liam Lawson, who rejoined the Racing Bulls line‑up and 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 after the season, managed ninth place, while Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten in tenth. Williams' Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session, but the incident cost him very little track time, and the team introduced a significant upgrade package for the weekend.
The schedule for the remainder of the weekend includes a packed slate of events: Thursday sees the second practice session at 1 pm, followed by the F1 Show at 2:15 pm. Friday features the sprint race, the third practice session, and the qualifying session that will determine the grid for the Saturday race. Saturday's program includes the second F2 feature race, the Grand Prix itself, and post‑race analysis. Sunday will host the final F2 feature race and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix build‑up, culminating in the race and a chequered‑flag reaction segment.
All of these sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to stream via NOW without a long‑term contract, allowing viewers to cancel at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver high‑octane action, and the Baku Grand Prix promises to be a pivotal weekend for the championship battle, especially as the title contenders navigate the challenges of one of the calendar’s most demanding street circuits.