George Russell emerged as the quickest driver in the opening practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, posting the fastest lap despite the early drama surrounding championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who was forced to stop on track due to a hydraulic failure. Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the Drivers' Championship, knows he must begin closing the gap to his teammate quickly if he hopes to keep the title fight alive and avoid an early resolution to the season's championship battle.
His strong start in Baku suggests he is ready to mount that challenge. The Mercedes driver benefited from a substantial slipstream effect generated by Fernando Alonso on his best lap, allowing Russell to edge past Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and both Ferrari entries by roughly four-tenths of a second. Even before that decisive lap, Russell displayed impressive pace throughout the session, consistently running near the front of the field and demonstrating that his car’s low‑downforce setup is well‑suited to the high‑speed, street‑circuit layout of Baku. Antonelli’s day took a sharp turn when a hydraulic issue forced his car to stop after just 35 minutes of track time.
The problem not only robbed him of valuable data but also left him at a disadvantage heading into the second practice session scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m. (live on Sky Sports F1). The Italian, who has claimed victory in the two most recent races, now faces the reality that Baku is one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar, often producing unexpected twists and turning points.
With an 81‑point lead over Russell and a margin of more than 100 points ahead of both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, Antonelli must be cautious; a single reliability hiccup could quickly erode his comfortable cushion. "In terms of Kimi's session, FP1 is the least representative session, so that's a blessing," noted Sky Sports F1 analyst Jamie Chadwick. "The bigger concern is why they had the issue. We knew reliability was a big talking point for Mercedes earlier in the session; it seems to have been in a much better place the last few races especially, but that's going to be the biggest concern." Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted their quickest times on the medium‑compound tyres, indicating they will be aiming to fight for pole position in Friday’s qualifying and to contend for the race win on Saturday afternoon.
Red Bull, on the other hand, arrived in Baku with a fresh package of aerodynamic parts, including a revised floor, updated side‑pods and new mirrors. Verstappen appeared particularly quick on the hard tyres early in the session, suggesting the team’s upgrades are already paying dividends. If you strip away the slipstream advantage that helped Russell on his fastest lap, the picture that emerges shows Red Bull still very much in the mix at the front of the grid, locked in a battle with Mercedes and Ferrari for supremacy.
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. These upgrades, however, are expected to be more effective on circuits with longer straights and fewer tight corners than Baku, giving McLaren ample time to refine their package over the remaining practice sessions. At one stage, Piastri believed he had sustained damage to his car, but the team’s engineers found nothing visibly wrong.
Norris, meanwhile, has yet to unleash his full speed potential, hinting that the British driver may yet surprise in the upcoming sessions. Red Bull’s rookie Isack Hadjar, who secured a contract extension through 2027, returned to action for the first time since July after missing three race weekends with a wrist injury. Unfortunately, he too suffered a setback, losing around 30 minutes of running due to an engine problem.
This development opened the door for Liam Lawson to step back into the Racing Bulls lineup, where he launched from seventh on the grid, with teammate Arvid Lindblad close behind in eighth. Further down the order, Esteban Ocon—who is expected to be without an F1 seat next season as Haas looks to replace him—finished ninth, while Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto secured tenth. Williams’ Carlos Sainz experienced a minor brake fire early in the session; the incident cost him little track time, but it came at a weekend when the team has introduced a significant upgrade package aimed at boosting performance. The schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed with action: Thursday, 24 September, features F2 qualifying at 10:55 a.m., a team‑bosses press conference at noon, the second practice session for the Azerbaijan GP at 1 p.m., and The F1 Show at 2:15 p.m.
Friday, 25 September, includes the F2 sprint at 5:10 a.m., the third practice session at 9:15 a.m., the F2 feature race at 11:10 a.m., and the build‑up to the GP qualifying at 12:30 p.m., followed by the qualifying itself at 1 p.m. and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 3 p.m. Saturday, 26 September, sees the second F2 feature race at 7:55 a.m., the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 a.m., the Azerbaijan Grand Prix start at noon, the chequered flag ceremony at 2 p.m., and Ted’s Notebook at 3 p.m. All of these events will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event, with the F1 coverage also available via the NOW streaming service, which offers a contract‑free, cancel‑anytime option.
Fans are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for the most accessible video player experience. In summary, Russell’s fastest lap in FP1 demonstrates that Mercedes is still a serious contender in Baku, while Antonelli’s hydraulic issue serves as a reminder that reliability remains a critical factor in a championship that is still very much open.
The upcoming practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself will provide further clarity on which teams can convert their technical upgrades and driver talent into points, and whether the current points hierarchy will hold or be reshaped by the high‑speed drama that Baku so often delivers.