Max Verstappen thwarted George Russell's attempt to claim a clean sweep of the 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 conditions that made the already demanding street circuit even more treacherous.
The wind gusts, combined with the tight, wall‑lined layout, caused a number of drivers to lose grip and run off the track at various points throughout the hour‑long session. On Thursday, when the weather was calmer, Mercedes had appeared to dominate, posting the quickest laps and setting the benchmark for the weekend.
However, as the wind picked up on Friday, Verstappen found an extra level of pace on the soft compound tyres. He gradually trimmed seconds off his sector times and eventually posted a best lap of 1:43.922, overtaking Russell to sit atop the timesheet. Russell, who had a close call at Turn Seven—where he briefly clipped the barriers after running straight on—finished just 0.099 seconds behind, securing second place.
Ferrari, which had been trailing the leading pace for most of the session, managed to climb back into the mix thanks to a late‑stage effort from Lewis Hamilton. On his final lap, Hamilton recorded a time only 0.111 seconds slower than Verstappen, moving into third place. His improvement was aided by a powerful tow from a line of cars on Baku's long pit straight, which gave him a burst of straight‑line speed at the crucial moment. Both the aerodynamic tow and the prevailing wind are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming qualifying, where drivers will be fighting for pole position under challenging conditions.
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft summed up the situation, 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." His remarks underscore how the unpredictable breeze could turn the qualifying session into a tactical showdown, with drivers needing to balance tyre temperature, wind direction, and the timing of their runs.
Kimi Antonelli, who 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 excursions, highlighting how even the front‑runners were vulnerable to the slippery surface. Three weeks after his spectacular pole at the high‑speed Monza circuit, Pierre Gasly demonstrated Alpine's progress by posting the sixth‑quickest lap, beating both McLaren drivers despite the team's recent upgrades. McLaren, which introduced a substantial aerodynamic package for Baku, saw Lando Norris fall out of the pole‑position conversation after a lackluster Thursday.
Norris' performance on Friday confirmed that prediction, as the team was roughly 0.8 seconds off the leading pace. Oscar Piastri managed to slot into seventh place, ahead of Norris, while Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, returning from a three‑race layoff due to a wrist injury, struggled to find his rhythm and finished behind the two McLarens.
Franco Colapinto secured tenth place in the second Alpine, narrowly ahead of Carlos Sainz, who drove a heavily revised Williams that showed promising improvements in Friday's morning session. The Williams team appears to be targeting a stronger presence in the congested upper‑midfield battle as the season progresses.
Lance Stroll's session was cut short after he clipped the inside wall at Turn One, forcing him to stop in the runoff area after completing only nine laps. His incident served as a reminder of how unforgiving the Baku circuit can be, especially when wind gusts destabilize the cars. 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 am, followed by a build‑up to the Azerbaijan GP qualifying at 12:30 pm. The main qualifying session begins at 1:00 pm, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, with a post‑qualifying analysis notebook slated for 3:00 pm. Saturday features the second F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am and the Grand Prix itself at 12:00 pm, with live coverage again on Sky Sports.
The race will conclude with a chequered‑flag reaction segment at 2:00 pm and a final notebook at 3:00 pm. For fans wishing to stream the action, Sky Sports F1 is available via NOW TV, offering a contract‑free option that can be cancelled at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to deliver high‑octane drama, and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be a pivotal weekend where wind, strategy, and driver skill will intersect to shape the championship narrative.